Horrifying freak lightning strike kills a soccer player and injures 12 others
Horrifying freak lightning strike kills a soccer player and injures 12 others
Athena DawsonWed, August 5, 2026 at 10:11 PM UTC
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Several players collapsed to the ground from the strike, and 12 players were injured -Credit:Viral Press
A soccer match turned horrific when a 24-year-old man died from a freak lightning strike while on the field.
A horrifying social media video captured the moment two soccer teams were playing a raucous match in the rain when lightning struck the field in a huge explosion.
The incident occurred Tuesday at Santiphap Stadium in Sungai Golok, with the rival Thai and Malaysian teams facing off in the Golo FA Cup 2026 semi-final in Thailand.
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The incident occurred Tuesday at Santiphap Stadium in Sungai Golok -Credit:Viral Press
Thai and Malaysian teams faced off in the Golo FA Cup 2026 semi-final -Credit:Viral Press
The rest of the harrowing footage then shows 24-year-old Sofwan Awae in a black-and-white striped jersey, lying face down on the ground before his teammate runs toward him and turns him over. Multiple people, identified as staff members and fellow players, ran towards Awae.
Emergency medical services rushed him to the hospital, but he succumbed to his critical injuries.
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“Although the emergency medical team made every effort to save him, the victim succumbed to severe injuries sustained in the incident,” said Sungai Golok police chief Thun Sirikhunt, according to local media reports.
Several players collapsed to the ground from the strike, and 12 players were injured.
12 players were injured -Credit:Viral Press
Awae was a winger for SAMCOLTS and had reportedly recently signed with Thai third-division club Yala FC.
Among those injured was 22-year-old Malaysian footballer Alif Ezzahan Zulkifli, who was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Awae was a winger for SAMCOLTS -Credit:Viral Press
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Yala FC offered condolences to Awae's family.
"We extend our condolences to the family of our new FC Yala player, Sofwan Awae," the club said.
Deadly lightning strikes have previously occurred in Thailand. At least 283 people were struck by lightning across the country between 2020 and 2024, with many dying on the spot, according to reports from the Department of Disease Control.
Source: “AOL Sports”
