A Peruvian footballer was killed after lightning struck him during a local league game in central Peru. The 39-year-old man, identified as defender Hugo De La Cruz, was walking off the pitch at Coto Coto stadium in Chilca, around 70 kilometers southeast of Lima, after the game had been halted due to a storm. (More Football News)
Footage showed many players falling face first to the ground as lightning struck the field in the 22nd minute of the match between local teams Juventud Bellavista and Familia Chocca. A spark and a cloud of smoke were seen near one of the players and a few players seemed to struggle to get back up.
“We join in solidarity and extend our sincere condolences to the family of young Hugo De La Cruz, who, after being struck by lightning, unfortunately lost his life while being taken to the hospital,” the local municipality said in a statement. “We also express our support and wishes for a speedy recovery to the other four players injured in this tragic accident.”
An Associated Press report quoted Cesar Ramos, manager of the civil defence of the municipality of Chilca, as telling local newspaper Correo that the lightning struck De la Cruz because the player apparently had a metal bracelet on. “It was like a magnet,” said the official.
The injured players were taken to the “Daniel Alcides Carrion” regional teaching hospital in the city of Huancayo, the regional capital of Junin. Two players were discharged from the hospital, while two remain under observation, state news agency Andina reported. A goalkeeper injured in the incident was in critical condition but had shown improvement, the report added.
Lightning strikes can cause severe injury to humans and, in rare cases, can be fatal. The chance of being struck is less than one in a million, as per the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Almost 90% of all lightning strike victims survive, according to the CDC, but the effects can be serious and long-lasting.
A 16-year-old Russian goalkeeper had survived a lightning strike in 2020 during a training session. Videos of the freak incident showed the teenager was struck by the bolt as he went to kick a ball into the goal, while his teammates trained near the touchline. Though he suffered severe burns and doctors put him into an induced coma, the teenager recovered in a few weeks.
