Six high school students in Nara, Japan, were struck by lightning. The students were playing soccer at Tezukayama Junior and Senior High School on April 10 when the blast hit them. Out of the five 14-year-old boys and one 16-year-old girl, three of the boys collapsed and one fell unconscious, according to Japan Truly.
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Lightning Strike Hospitalizes 6 Students Playing Soccer
Soon after the lightning strike hit the students around 5:50 PM, they were rushed to a hospital for recovery and treatment. This incident left some serious damage on these poor students. One of the boys went into cardiac arrest, while two others got into comas.
Meanwhile, the one girl and two other boys felt numb and couldn't feel their limbs. They also complained about not being able to speak properly, according to AP News. Luckily, the one who suffered minor numbness symptoms got to leave the hospital later that evening.
The police and fire department are continuing to investigate this strange incident. During the lightning attack, 114 students and eight teachers were in the school.
Japan Truly reported that Nara City was dealing with "rapidly changing weather" prior to the strike. Just 10 minutes before the blast, it began to rain lightly. Within the next 10 minutes before the lightning, the rainfall got worse.
Unfortunately, this is one of those situations that they could've easily avoided. Since the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a thunderstorm warning that morning, they could've cancelled soccer practice. The JMA also called for severe weather, like strong winds, lightning, and even tornados.
From what we know, the boy who suffered a cardiac arrest is still unconscious and in critical condition. As for the coma patients, there's good news and bad news. One of the coma students is reportedly "critically ill." Luckily, the other coma patient has regained consciousness.
This is a lesson to anyone playing sports outside to seek shelter when thunderstorms approach. Something like this nearly happened to a tennis player in Indonesia. While playing tennis outside, lightning struck mere feet from her, and she caught it on video.
