Froilanis Maireth Rivas Román, a 34-year-old Venezuelan woman, died while she was in a beach in Cartagena, Colombia, after lightning struck her directly on her body.
Reports indicate that the woman was standing on the beach, looking out to the sea, when the lightning struck her and caused her immediate death. In addition, a man who was passing near Froilanis Rivas was injured by the electric shock.
The images below were obtained from the Instagram account of the newspaper El Colombiano . The video, recorded by a security camera, contains sensitive images of the moment lightning strikes Froilanis Rivas. Discretion is advised
After the impact, Froilanis Rivas, who suffered cardiorespiratory failure, was assisted by her family and witnesses, but the woman had already died. The director of the Emergency Regulation Center (CRUE), Álvaro Cruz, confirmed that the woman was taken by ambulance to the Serena del Mar Hospital. Although she was brought back to life for 45 minutes, she wasn’t able to survive.
What happens when lightning strikes us?
Due to the discharge of energy that passes through the body in a matter of milliseconds, 30% of people who are struck by lightning die from sudden cardiac arrest.
Electrical discharges caused by lightning often cause burns to the skin. However, they mainly affect internal tissues, the central nervous system, and the brain.
What do experts say about this event?
Caracol TV was able to speak with Daniel Aranguren, PhD in Electrical Engineering and manager of Keraunos, a lightning detection firm. He explained that this accident is similar to the other 300 deaths that had occurred in the Caribbean region over the last 10 years.
Furthermore, he explains that, since people do not think of rain as bad weather, they continue with their activities without realizing that they are under a thunderstorm. “That happened on the day (of Rivas’ death),” says the expert, who also added that on November 14, nearly 250 lightning strikes fell on Cartagena.
