A FOOTBALL coach was injured when lightning struck him while a match was ongoing in Bago City, Negros Occidental around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, October 9, 2022.

Bago City police chief Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong identified the victim as Charlie Panes, 24, of the city’s Barangay Lag-asan.

Investigation showed that Panes was at the Manuel Y. Torres Sports Center at the city’s Barangay Balingasag when a lightning hit an acacia tree located at the eastern portion of the new grandstand.

After hitting the tree, the lightning ricochet to the football ground hitting Panes, the investigation added.

Due to cramps and difficulty of breathing, Panes was rushed by staff from the City Health Office to the Bago City Hospital, where he is now confined and is now in stable condition, Malong said.

Following the incident, the game was temporarily stopped by the organizer for safety of the players and viewers, a source told SunStar Bacolod.

The football event Bacolod Rotary Club Football tournament was participated in by different football clubs from Western Visayas.