During the friendly football match between FBI Subang and 2 FLO FC Bandung, an Indonesian team, a 35-year-old football player got struck by lightning and tragically lost his life. Because lightning has such a great deal of energy, it can be a lethal natural force.
The horrific occurrence at the Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung, West Java, was caught on camera. The player is shown collapsing shortly after, however PRFM Media reports that he was still breathing and was rushed to a hospital.
According to the local news source, the event happened on February 10 while Septian Raharja, 35, was playing in a friendly match between FBI Subang and FLO FC Bandung.
The victim, corresponding to the story, was still conscious and breathing even though the lightning strike had burned holes in his jersey. He was then sent to the Sariningsih Hospital in Bandung, Indonesia, where his death was officially declared.
Videos capturing the payer’s moment of lightning strike were making the rounds on X. A brief moment of silence was observed in his memory by various Indonesian teams, in addition to the many football players and supporters who sent their thoughts and prayers.
However, the local media reports that even though the game started with clear sky, the weather turned bad while it was going on.
Comparable instances
Another football player competing in the Soeratin U-13 Cup in Bojonegoro, East Java province, Indonesia, was hit by lightning last year and momentarily lost consciousness, according to India Today. His death was due to heart arrest at the Ibnu Sina Hospital in Bojonegoro.
A lightning strike during a football match in Brazil in December 2023 resulted in an analogous event that claimed the life of a 21-year-old and injured six more. The young football player collapsed on the field and was taken to the healthcare facility, where he later died from his injuries.
According to News18, a lightning strike that happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 25 years ago claimed the lives of 11 people, including spectators and participants.
Thirty more spectators suffered burns during the game, which was played in the Kasai region. Bena Tshadi and Basanga were tied 1-1 at the time, and eleven players in total from the Bena Tshadi squad lost their lives in the match; no players from the Basanga side were injured.
