The deceased was playing football in an open field at the time of the incident. Similar fatalities have also occurred in Indonesia in the previous years.
A local man from Subang Regency lost his life after being struck by lightning while playing football at Siliwangi Stadium, Bandung, West Java on Saturday, the 10th February. The recorded incident garnered significant attention on social media.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by @ScariestProject, several men can be seen engaging in a football match on the stadium field. A lightning bolt hit one of the players, prompting the others to gather around the deceased. The video has amassed over 1.4 million views on X and garnered more than 300 comments.
According to an eyewitness and one of the players identified as GJ, the weather took a drastic and immediate turn before the lightning strike occurred.
“I was playing for the opposite team,” GJ told the press on Saturday. “The weather was a bit murky but hot. It started raining in the south and east areas, though. Still, the weather on the field was hot, so we felt it was okay to play there.”
GJ also described the fatal wounds suffered by the deceased after the lightning strike. According to the eyewitness, the victim’s skin turned red, with some parts already melted.
“Both of the victim’s feet got burned. And then there appeared some kind of electrocution. The victim dropped instantly,” GJ added. “At first, we thought he was just lying down. But then, he didn’t get back up.”
A similar incident had occurred previously in Indonesia. In November 2023, a local footballer was struck by lightning and died while playing a match at the Lt. Gen. H Soedirman Stadium, Bojonegoro, West Java. Moreover, in June 2022, a student met a similar fate while playing football on a nearby field in Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta.
According to Siswanto, a climate researcher from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, someone standing in a wide, open space under unfavourable weather conditions is vulnerable to being an unwilling target for lightning strikes.
“Someone standing in an open space can be a target for lightning strikes because that person is standing taller than the rest of his environment,” Siswanto explained to the press on Monday, the 12th February. “That is why it is very dangerous to stand in an open field when it is cloudy with a chance of lightning, especially when the rain is already falling because that would heighten the possibility of conductance.”
Seorang pria asal Subang tewas tersambar petir saat bermain sepakbola di Lapangan Stadion Siliwangi, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, Sabtu (10/2/2024) Sore tadi.#viral #viralindo #indoviral #indo pic.twitter.com/nEJFbHLYNP
— The Scariest Project (@ScariestProject) February 10, 2024