An Indonesian football player has tragically passed away after being hit by lightning during a match. The incident occurred during a friendly game between 2 FLO FC Bandung and FBI Subang at Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung, West Java. Videos shared on social media show a sudden burst of light followed by the collapse of the 35-year-old athlete. Local reports indicate that Raharja was still breathing immediately after the incident, but he was rushed to a nearby hospital due to severe burns and unfortunately succumbed to his injuries later on. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency of Indonesia revealed that the lightning struck from a cloud just 300 meters above the stadium.
In the wake of this tragic death, several teams took a moment of silence and expressed their condolences on Raharja’s team’s Instagram page. Surprisingly, incidents of football players being struck by lightning are more common than one might expect. In 2023, a 21-year-old athlete suffered a similar fate while playing in Brazil. Caio Henrique de Lima Goncalves, who was part of the Uniao Jaiirense team in the state of Parana, was struck by lightning during a match and was immediately taken to the hospital. Sadly, he did not survive his injuries. In the same game, six other players also required medical attention after the incident. Furthermore, in a separate incident last year, a young Indonesian player under the age of 13 was also struck by lightning. Miraculously, he managed to survive, although he experienced a cardiac arrest and lost consciousness for approximately 20 minutes.
According to the Source outkick.com