Football turned into a nightmare in Peru when a player was killed due to lightning strike and around five others were injured. This happened in the Peruvian city of Huancayo in the Chilica district, where two local teams, Juventus Bellavista and Familia Chocca were playing against each other.
A video in X went viral, where Jose Huga de la Cruz Meza aged 39 was killed instantly. In the video it was seen that he fell on the ground after being struck by lightning and was declared dead, when taken to the hospital.
Several reports suggest that around 22 minutes in the game, Bellavista was leading with a score line of 2-0 and the referee decided to stop the game due to loud sounds of thunder around the stadium. Apart from that 39-year-old player goalkeeper Juan Chocca Llacta also suffered serious burns and is in a critical condition. Another player named Cristian Cesar Pituy Cahuana and two teenagers aged 16 and 19 also sustained injuries but are in a stable condition.
The tragedy has raised questions regarding the security protocols at sporting events especially in high-altitude areas like Huancayo, where the capital city of the same name is 10,659 feet above sea level.
Earlier in February, this year an Indonesian footballer had died for a similar reason during a friendly match between 2 FLO FC Bandung and FBI Subang. According to a report by Mirror, Local reports at the time said he was rushed to hospital and was still breathing after being badly burnt but pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The tragic incident was not the first time as it had happened earlier in the same year.