A soccer player in Peru died after he was struck by lightning this week, according to local news reportsswerte gaming, an incident captured on video in an arresting reminder of the dangers of being outdoors in a storm with lightning.
The player, José Hugo De la Cruz Meza, was involved in a regional tournament game between two low-level local teams, C.D. Juventud Bellavista and U.D. Familia Chocca, in Huancayo, Peru, when lightning struck the field, the Peruvian newspaper La República and other local news media reported.
Mr. Hugo De la Cruz Meza was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to La República.
Four additional players in the game were hospitalized. All have been discharged, according to local media.
As a storm got worse, the game was paused. But as the players were making their way off the field, lightning struck.
A video of the incident on Sunday shows a flash of light and then several players instantly dropping to the ground.
One of the injured players, Juan Chocca, the brother-in-law of Mr. De la Cruz Meza, told La República: “I was just walking out with Hugo hugging each other. I took three steps after letting go of him, and the lightning struck us.”
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