lightning
The body of a foreign tourist killed by a lightning strike has been recovered by emergency services from the top of a mountain in northern NSW.

Emergency services were called to the summit of the mountain, near Murwillumbah, just before 5am on Tuesday.

The man, aged in his 20s, was camping with a friend on Mt Warning when lightning struck a tree near their tent in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Qld police have said a nearby tree was struck by lightning and then struck the man's feet, killing him instantly.

The woman in her 20s, also an overseas tourist, has been treated for neck and head injuries at Murwillumbah hospital.

The pair were discovered by hikers in the early morning, including two teenage boys who tried to revive the man with CPR for an hour.

A team of 35 rescue volunteers and police had to trek to the top of Mt Warning on foot to rescue the pair and it took them nearly two hours to carry the body down from the mountain.

Poor visibility prevented authorities from using a helicopter in the rescue operation.

Police have said people should look at weather forecasts before going hiking to avoid another tragedy, but have conceded that there was little to be done in this incident as it was a 'freak accident'.

'It's very unusual for something like this to happen. I'm not judgmental of the people in any way, these things just happen,' said Commander of Tweed Police Wayne Starling.

Locals in area say the area was hit by an 'incredible' thunder and lightning storm during the night.

A resident from Federal described the storm as 'full on'. While a resident from Girard's Hill said they were 'mesmerised by the continuous lightning show that began as they were trying to get to sleep'.

With AAP