“There was smoke”: lightning strikes on a football field during training, a man dies from lightning

Lightning struck the Courrières football field, near Lens, in Pas-de-Calais (illustrative photo). Felix Mittermeier – UNSPLASH

Lightning caused the death of a man and left one seriously injured when it fell on a football field during training this Thursday, May 23, 2024 around 8 p.m. near Lens, in the Pas- from Calais.

It fell on the Courrières football field, near Lens, in Pas-de-Calais, around 8 p.m., this Thursday, May 23, 2024.

The lightning did not spare the players present. A man died, despite a long attempt at resuscitation by medical teams. He would have been struck by lightning. According to information from La Voix du Nord, he was 33 years old and a coach at the Courrières club.

Chest pain

Another man, "suffering from chest pain was transported to the hospital center in a state of absolute emergency", details the prefecture in a press release, cited by the Huffington Post in particular. This assessment is subject to change. According to La Voix du Nord, two people aged 44 and 25, suffering from chest pain, were transported, in serious condition, to the Lens hospital center.

Wounded, shocked

A total of 29 people were there when the lightning struck. Four men, slightly injured, were also treated by firefighters. The others are "shocked but unharmed", specifies the prefecture in a press release.

A medical-psychological emergency unit was set up in the evening to support witnesses to the tragedy.