A 24-year-old Thai footballer was killed and 12 others injured, including a Malaysian player, when lightning struck a football pitch in southern Thailand during a semi-final match on Tuesday evening.
A tragic incident unfolded at Santiphap Stadium in Sungai Golok, a town in Thailand's Narathiwat province near the Malaysian border, when a lightning strike struck the football pitch during a regional tournament. According to Sungai Golok police chief Thun Sirikhunt, the strike occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday amid heavy rainfall while a semi-final match of the Golok FA Cup was underway.
The victim was identified as 24-year-old Sofwan Awae, a winger for the third-tier semi-professional club Yala FC. Sofwan had recently joined Yala FC just days before the incident and was competing for the Abu x Nong Sirin team in the tournament. The match featured a mixed squad of Thai and Malaysian players, with the tournament also drawing participation from other Malaysian clubs including Kelantan FC.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene following a call at approximately 5:30 p.m. and found Sofwan in critical condition. Despite immediate medical intervention, he was unable to survive his injuries. In addition to the fatal incident, 12 other individuals sustained injuries from the lightning strike, including at least one Malaysian player.
The Golok FA Cup tournament operates in a region that straddles the Thailand-Malaysia border, drawing teams from both countries to compete in the regional competition.
