BANDUNG, INDONESIA – A tragic incident unfolded at Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung of West Java on Saturday, where a lightning strike killed a soccer player during a competitive match.
The victim was identified as 35-year-old Septain Raharja, a resident of Subang. He was participating in a friendly football match between 2 FLO FC Bandung and FBI Subang when he was struck by lightning at approximately 4:20 p.m. local time.
Video footage capturing the awful moment of Raharja’s collapse went viral on social media, causing widespread mourning among football enthusiasts.
Despite being rushed to a local hospital following the incident, Raharja succumbed to severe burn injuries. His death has prompted an outpouring of condolences, with several Indonesian teams paying tribute to Raharja by observing a moment of silence in his memory. In a match between FBI Mageland and Erka, players were seen respectfully bowing their heads to honor the deceased athlete.
Analysis of the lightning event by the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) revealed the source cloud was a mere 300 meters altitude from the stadium when it struck.
This fatal episode marks the second time within a year that an Indonesian soccer player has died due to a lightning strike.