Lightning strikes football pitch killing player and injuring 12 others

Lightning strikes football pitch killing player and injuring 12 others A 24-year-old footballer was tragically killed and 12 others were injured at the Santiphap Stadium in Narathiwat province when a freak lightning strike hit the rain-soaked pitch A 24-year-old has sadly died in a freak lightning strike while on the pitch at a football match. The horror lightning strike happened on 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. Emergency medical services rushed him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his critical injuries. 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 rest of the 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. “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, as cited by Bernama. “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, Mirror US reports. 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.