Lightning strike kills Peruvian soccer player during live TV match in distressing scene
Horrifying live TV coverage of a Peruvian soccer match caught the moment several players were knocked to the ground by lightning — with one killed in a direct strike.
The footage showed players and refs slowly walking off the field at Coto Coto stadium in Chilca when Sunday’s game between Juventud Bellavista and Familia Chocca was suspended in the first half because of the storm warning, according to the Telegraph.
With a sudden crack, at least eight players fell forward like tipped dominoes — with a flash directly hitting two of them on the right of the screen.
Jose Hugo de la Cruz Meza, a 39-year-old defender, was killed, while goalkeeper Juan Chocca Llacta, 40, was rushed to a local hospital with severe burns.
Two teenagers and a 24-year-old man were also injured, but are listed as being in stable condition, reports said.
De La Cruz Meza may have taken the killer strike because of his bracelet, officials believe.
“It was like a magnet,” said Cesar Ramos, who is in charge of the area’s civil defense.
Photos later captured scorch marks on the field near where the players landed, the outlet said.
The game was quickly canceled after the deadly strike, which came as Bellavista was winning 2-1.
It’s not the first time such an accident happened during a game in the high-altitude region— about 10 years ago, a lightning strike put 21-year-old soccer player Joao Contreras in the hospital with second-degree burns.
In response to the most recent strike, Lucho Duarte, an engineer who also filmed the strike, called for new safety measures to protect the players, including lightning rods
“This terrible incident reminds us of the importance of protection against lightning, especially in open-air events,” Duarte said, according to the Mirror.
“We need to implement protective systems in sports installations and security protocols involving the immediate suspension of activities during storms.”
