Moment of lightning strike kills Peruvian soccer player, injures four others, captured on video

A footballer was struck by lightning during a match in Peru last weekend, killing him and injuring four other players in a horrific incident that was captured on a live video stream of the match. The lightning bolt struck 39-year-old José Hugo De la Cruz Meza, a defender for the Chocca Family team, as players and referees left the field Sunday due to deteriorating weather at the Coto Coto stadium near the city of Huancayo, the Peruvian Football Federation said . state-run Andina news agency.

De la Cruz died immediately from the strike, Peruvian news media reported, before being taken to a local hospital. Goalkeeper Juan Chocca Llacta, De la Cruz’s cousin, was left in serious condition and three other players suffered burns.

The video of the attack shows the players calmly leaving the field when a flash of light briefly engulfs Meza.

He and about half a dozen other players immediately fall over. You see Llacta, who was walking right next to Meza, and five other players who were slightly further away, moving quickly again, some appearing to roll around in pain, but the clip does not show De la Cruz moving again.

Post-match video, which ended about 20 minutes into the match after the lightning strike, showed people looking at scorch marks on the grass where the lightning struck.

Llacta, who survived his serious injuries, told Peru Daily Mail newspaper Monday that they walked off the field together with their arms around each other just before the lightning strike.

“I let him go, we took three steps and lightning hit us,” he said. “…I felt a flash of light in my head and my mind went blank, and then I don’t remember anything else. I regained consciousness in the hospital. I thank God for giving me a chance at life. I’m surprised that I am still alive.”

According to the newspaper, De la Cruz’s family held a vigil for him in his hometown near Huancayo, with his fire-scorched uniform displayed next to his coffin.

The Daily Mail reported that his family was seeking financial support from local authorities to cover the costs of the funeral, and for the future, as his wife has to support three young children on her own.