Originally appeared on E! Online
An unexpected weather pattern has sparked tragedy in South America.
Four female soccer players were killed after being struck by lightning after a storm interrupted their match in rural Colombia Feb. 9, according to multiple reports.
After seeking shelter from the storm, Jeidy Morales, Daniela Mosquera, Luz Lame and Etelvina Mosquera—who hailed from nearby Piedras Negras—were ultimately struck and killed by the lightning, local outlet Cauca Hoy reported. The tragedy took place in the village of El Real, Casas Bajas, located within the town of Cajibio.
“The women were participating in a football tournament when the emergency occurred,” government spokesperson Lesly Valencia said following the incident, per National World. “A lightning bolt struck a tree and that was what caused the death of the four women.”
The victims had been participating in a weekly soccer championship organized Cajibio’s municipal administration, Piedras Negras action board president Elmer Giovanny Mosquera told Cauca Hoy. He added that it was not raining when the lightning struck, but noted that the sky was “cloudy.”
E! News has reached out to Lesly Valencia for comment but has not yet heard back.
In light of the devastating loss, tributes have surfaced online from loved ones paying their respects to the victims.
“What sad news,” one mourner wrote, per National World. “Rest in peace Daniela.”
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The natural phenomenon also claimed the life of a man in attendance who later died in hospital, National World reported citing local media. The report also noted that two other women were left with serious burns as a result of the lightning strike.
In a message shared on the Cajibio municipal government’s Facebook page Feb. 11, mayor Diana Carolina Cabanillas Valencia extended “deepest condolences” to the victims’ families and friends.
“We join together in solidarity with their families and friends at this difficult time, sending them our deepest condolences,” the Spanish-language post read. “May their memory remain in the hearts of those who knew them and may strength be with them through this painful process.”
E! News has reached out to Valencia for comment but has not yet heard back.
In light of the devastating loss, tributes have surfaced online from loved ones paying their respects to the victims.
“What sad news,” one mourner wrote, per National World. “Rest in peace Daniela.”
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