Weird! A football stadium was struck by lightning and all 11 people from the away team died, but no one from the home team was injured.

The football field is a holy place where passion flies and miracles are created, but dangers often occur. Bad weather often causes accidental injuries to players, and lightning strikes are the most severe. In an ordinary football match, after a flash of lightning, all 11 members of the away team were killed on the spot, but the home team was unscathed. Has such a tragedy really happened in Africa?

Now let’s take a look at what happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 23 years ago?

The bizarre death of 11 people at the football field

On October 27, 1998, in a football match in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the home team Bena Tshadi played against Basanga. There was a thunderstorm and heavy rain during the game, but the referee did not interrupt the game. When the two teams were close to winning 1-1, suddenly a terrifying bolt of lightning struck the court directly. Amidst the rolling thunder, 11 people fell directly to the ground and suffered from convulsions and convulsions.

Then people on the sidelines rushed into the stadium, only to find that players died of injuries one after another. In the end, it was determined that 11 players on the field were dead and more than 30 people were slightly or seriously injured and were rushed to the hospital.

After the incident was quickly fermented and reprinted, it caused an uproar. Various versions are also coming one after another, and the main weird points are concentrated at 5 points.

1. All the players who died were visiting team players, and all 11 people on the field were killed

2. The cause of death was that the home team secretly hid special screws in their jerseys

3. The home team invited a local wizard to perform a witchcraft, which resulted in the visiting team being tricked

4. At that time, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was undergoing a civil war. Behind the lightning strike lies, the players were Murdered

(Picture) The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo was turbulent at the time

Some people even claimed that this incident did not exist at all. Because there were no pictures of the scene, it was made up by the media to attract attention. Story

What is the reality?

What information is hidden behind this news?

1. The home team players walked out of the stadium safe and sound

2. At that time, the Congolese Democratic Party and domestic rebels were operating locally

3. Here Three days before the lightning strike, a stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa was also struck by lightning. Many people were injured, but no one died.

The British BBC reprinted the news the next day, but it was hardly updated. content. Later, the British "Guardian" and "The Independent" also published this news. At that time, these two relatively reliable media had almost the same statement as the BBC and quoted the same source.

At the same time, they also said that the Congolese (DRC) official has never confirmed it. This is also understandable. At that time, there was a war in their country, and no one really had time to respond to this matter.

(Picture) BBC’s report on the incident that year

The Guardian specifically emphasized that locals admitted that there was a heavy rain on the day of the game, and there was indeed thunder and lightning at the time, and they heard that Something happened on a golf course.

Later, the Associated Press also published this story. It can be seen that this tragedy was not fabricated or made up, but a real tragic event.

In those years, the horrific lightning strikes on the football field

According to statistics, the number of casualties caused by lightning strikes and negative effects of lightning strikes in our country reaches 3,000 to 4,000 every year. In world football, the casualties caused by lightning strikes are even more shocking.

On January 9, 1988, during a football match at the Picuiba Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, six people were killed and two others injured after being struck by lightning.

On January 20, 1991, Piriri, Brazil faced Cruzeiro. It was summer in South America and the weather was unpredictable. Twenty minutes into the second half, dark clouds and lightning suddenly broke out, and two players were struck by lightning. He died after being electrocuted, and the referee and some fans were injured.

On September 20, 1993, at a stadium near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, two teams were playing against a thunderstorm. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning fell into the stadium, killing four players on the spot.

On the evening of July 19, 1995, there were dark clouds and heavy rain in Suizhou City, Hubei Province. 12 men were playing football in a local stadium. After a thunder exploded, all the kickers were knocked down by lightning, causing 2 injuries. One person died on the spot, and six others were unconscious and escaped after being rescued.

In March 2004, Chinese player Jiang Tao, defender of the Singapore Xinqi team, was struck by lightning on the training ground and unfortunately died on the spot. He was only 18 years old.

(Picture) Chinese player Jiang Tao unfortunately passed away due to a lightning strike in Singapore

In October 2007, Colombia's Atletico Cali team was suddenly struck by lightning while training, resulting in 2 deaths and 3 injuries. , the team's best player Giovanni Cordoba suffered severe burns and damaged internal organs. He died during rescue in the hospital. His teammate Egavri died on the spot.

On July 14, 2001, two teams were playing in a small stadium 150 kilometers west of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, but they were hit by lightning and heavy rain. Many spectators ran to the stadium. Taking shelter under a tree, a bolt of lightning struck, killing 11 spectators and seriously injuring 5 others.

In 2015, two teams playing in the Bolivian domestic league were struck by lightning. Unfortunately, one player was killed and eight others were injured and sent to hospital.

In September 2016, when the 16-year-old Russian player Zaborski was preparing to take a shot during daily training, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared. He was hit and his body emitted black smoke. He then fell into a coma and was rushed to the hospital. The exposure of the live footage is terrifying.

(Picture) The terrifying moment when Zaborski was struck by lightning. Afterwards, the team doctor said that the metal necklace he was wearing was the fuse

2018 in the South African League. Ruinada, a 21-year-old player of Maritzburg United, was struck by lightning and fell into a coma. He died after two months of unsuccessful rescue efforts.

A mystery: murder or accident?

Back to the incident itself, the most incredible thing about this lightning strike is why the home team was not damaged at all, but all members of the visiting team were killed?

There are many speculations about this incident

Theory 1: Before the away team players came on the field, the home team players secretly put screws into their jerseys.

Answer: Impossible

First of all, even if the home team players predict that there will be a storm and thunder and lightning, it is impossible to accurately calculate the event. If the two sides are in the penalty area before the lightning arrives, If there is a competition for a corner kick, wouldn't all 22 people in the field suffer?

Secondly, every player on the visiting team has been put into a screw, how could they not know? Football uniforms don’t have pockets, so where are these screws going to be?

Statement 2: The players were not electrocuted, but died in the war

Answer: The possibility is basically impossible

Since 1993, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has suffered from war. , the most serious period from 1998 to 2003, involving six African countries including Rwanda, causing at least 3.5 million deaths.

However, in this lightning strike, there were no deaths except for players on the visiting team. Local people confirmed that there was no fighting in the area before and after the game. Some spectators also confirmed that except for thunderstorms during the game, No other surprises.

Myth 3: Witchcraft is at work

Answer: Very unlikely'

In the mysterious African continent, witchcraft has always been firmly believed by many people. For example, before the 2002 World Cup, Nigeria asked a wizard to sprinkle pigeon blood in the locker room, apply "magic" powder on wounds, and sprinkle apotropaic on the team's goalposts, but they still played two games. After a total defeat, they lost hope of qualifying early.

Before the 2014 World Cup, a Ghanaian wizard named Nana claimed that he had done something to injure Ronaldo, the top Portuguese star in the same group as his country, and raved that no doctor could cure Ronaldo. Although Ronaldo's performance in the World Cup was average, he was rarely affected by injuries afterwards.

After the lightning strike that year, locals quickly spread the word that it was caused by "witchcraft." This possibility is of course extremely small. If the witchcraft they firmly believe in is so supernatural, why would there be a brutal civil war? Wouldn't it be best for both sides to have a top-notch witchcraft battle, which can also avoid the casualties of innocent people.

What is the truth: a coincidence causing the step voltage?

After the lightning tragedy in Congo (Kim), meteorologists also intervened in the investigation and research. They gave a detailed report. From a scientific point of view, it still makes sense.

First of all, football fields are mostly built in flat and open areas. It is especially easy for strong winds to enter the field, causing friction between the flowing air and the ground, thus generating a lot of charges. If there is a thunderstorm cloud layer, it will also carry a lot of charges. At that time, an invisible capacitor will be formed with the ground, which will double the probability of ground objects being struck by lightning.

The culprit of this lightning strike is likely to be a phenomenon called "step voltage."

Step voltage refers to the voltage between the feet of a person walking in the potential distribution area around the ground current entry point when a ground fault occurs in electrical equipment.

During a thunderstorm, when the lightning current passes through the grounding device, a step voltage will also be generated. At that time, the highest voltage in the center will spread to the outer layer and gradually decrease, showing a concentric circle pattern with different voltages on each layer.

After the step voltage occurs, if there is an object within this range, as long as you make a step posture with one foot in front and one foot behind, crossing different voltage circles, there will be life. Danger. Because the voltage at the two feet's landing positions is different, the current will flow from high to low between the feet, forming a step voltage.

(Picture) The size of the step voltage is also related to the distance of the person from the grounding body (point); the closer the person stands to the grounding body (point), the greater the step voltage; vice versa, the greater the step voltage. Small.

For example, when someone encounters a high-voltage wire break and happens to be in the step voltage area, it is very dangerous even if there is no contact with the wire.

It is worth noting that when a person is subjected to a step voltage, although the current flows along the person's lower body, from the feet through the legs and crotch to the feet and the earth, it does not pass through the important organs of the human body. , seems safer. However, when a person is subjected to a higher step voltage, his feet will cramp and his body will fall to the ground. This will not only increase the current acting on the body, but also change the path of the current through the human body, and may completely flow through important organs of the human body, such as head to hands or feet.

In such a situation, once the current continues to act in the body for 2 seconds after the person falls to the ground, it will be fatal.

Therefore, one possibility is that there are many scattered wires on the side of the dilapidated stadium. After lightning strikes the wires or lighting equipment, the away team players happen to be in the step voltage area, and the home team happens to be neither. At this time, the visiting team players were actively running, which doubled the danger and resulted in tragedy.

Doesn't it sound a bit scientific to say this? In fact, it is difficult to explain why the home team is all fine? The response of many research institutions is to spread their hands: This is not the first time that players on the football field have been struck by lightning, but all the visiting team were killed, but the home team was unscathed. We cannot explain this scientifically. Why don't you ask the experts? ask?

In this regard, some fans speculated that the home team buried some special items in the away team's half in advance, which caused the tragedy to happen. It doesn't seem unreasonable.

Playing football is risky, please remember these lightning protection guidelines

Football is a combination of strength and beauty, a fairy tale, love and belief. When people are running around on the football field, the most important thing is safety.

The battle between Ukraine and France in the 2012 European Cup was suspended for 55 minutes due to thunder and lightning. Golden Whistle Sun Baojie explained from the perspective of rules: In general rainy weather, the game will not be suspended, especially in modern football venues. The water seepage system is very good and there will not be too much water. However, if there is thunder and lightning at that time, the referee must The game is suspended immediately because it is very dangerous; so wait until the lightning disappears before returning to the venue.

Science has confirmed that the most common scenario for lightning strikes is when dark clouds are gathering. In addition, when the clouds are relatively low, there is also the possibility of lightning strikes. At this time, lightning often hits taller buildings, so there is a lightning rod at the highest point of the building. Its function is to attract lightning and prevent the building from being struck by lightning.

If there is severe thunder and lightning, the stadium is a large building, especially an amateur venue without stands. At this time, the players standing in the stadium become lightning rods. Athletes will sweat a lot while running, often soaking their clothes, and water is more conductive, putting players at greater risk.

For football lovers, before playing football, the most important thing is not to remind the girl you love that she must be there, or to plan a celebration after scoring a goal, or to think about marking the goal for the boy on the opposite side. shovel, and check the weather forecast carefully instead.

Especially in the rainy season, when thunderstorms and thunderstorms occur frequently, special attention should be paid to staying away from open venues and not wearing metal items on the field, such as metal necklaces, bracelets or decorative anklets.

The most important thing is not to show off. Sometimes, in addition to thunder and lightning, it is also very dangerous for the clouds to be too low. At this time, there is no need to go out and play football. It is also good to learn about the football emperor at home!

You only have one life, please cherish it for your family and yourself!

(Picture) During thunder and lightning weather, it is not safe to kiss passionately on the golf course or in the wild. Couples should pay special attention