A SUGARCANE worker died while his co-worker was injured after a lightning struck at Barangay Quiwi in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental Friday afternoon.
Killed was Alger Nicoyco, 35, of the said village. Wounded was a certain “Jimboy,” of Barangay Canmoros, Binalbagan town.
Inspector Rey Lastierre, deputy chief of Hinigaran Municipal Police Station, said both victims took a temporary shelter inside a nipa hut due to a heavy rainfall. But a lightning directly hit Nicoyco and suddenly both of them went unconscious.
Their other co-workers rushed them to a hospital but Nicoyco later died.
Lastierre said the heavy rainfall lasted for more than an hour.
The wounded victim was still unconscious after he was possibly electrocuted as he was sitting beside Nicoyco when the incident happened. He was transferred to a hospital in Bacolod City.
Avoid lightning
Meanwhile, Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, head of Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division gave tips to avoid lightning strike.
Caelian said the public should be aware of the weather condition, especially during thunderstorms.
In case of lightning occurrence, immediately go indoors, crouch close to the ground and make yourself small.
When in groups, separate and don't stay close to each other.
Caelian also advised them not to stay in open areas, vehicles, and structures.
Do not stay beside or under tall trees or structures. Avoid water and turn off electrical equipment, telephones, or any electronic devices, he said.
Just the other day, the Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), through its Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program, also conducted a debriefing to more than 40 residents of Barangay Ma-ao, who were traumatized due to the recent lightning incident.
Aside from the 11 victims brought to the hospital, some 30 other residents have also experienced trauma.
Of the more than 40 residents directly and indirectly affected by the lightning, were mostly children.
On May 22, three adults and eight minors were injured after a lightning hit an area near a chapel where they were attending a Flores de Mayo. It was followed by another similar incident that resulted in the death of a man on May 28 at Barangay Ma-ao.
Two days prior to the incident, a lightning also killed four persons and injured six others in Pontevedra town last week when they took shelter in a hut during a heavy rainfall.
In Sipalay City, a lightning also killed six persons, including five children, and injured 17 others when they took shelter under a 10-wheeler truck when it rained at Barangay Manlocahoc last month.