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A 42-year-old woman lost her life this Friday in the municipality of Colón, Matanzas province, after being struck by lightning while performing agricultural work near the community of La Luisa.
According to the report issued by the Civil Defense Council of the territory, the incident occurred in the afternoon and was reported by the management office of the Mario Muñoz Monroy General Teaching Hospital, where the victim was taken without vital signs.
The Head of the Center for Risk and Disaster Reduction (CGRRD) in Colón, Raisdel Naya, confirmed the incident and expressed his condolences to the family and loved ones.
This tragic episode occurs during an especially deadly summer due to electric shocks in Cuba.
In June, in the municipality of Bauta, Artemisa, two teenagers aged 13 and 16 died while playing football outdoors after being struck by lightning. On the same day, in a different but equally tragic incident, a three-year-old girl drowned at Playa Baracoa.
In July, a group of young people in Ciego de Ávila was almost struck by a lightning bolt while playing soccer during a thunderstorm. Meteorologist Frank Fernández Castañeda described the incident as “recklessness that could cost them their lives” and reiterated warnings about avoiding outdoor activities under these conditions.
In August, in addition to the death in Colón, the municipality of Manicaragua, in Villa Clara, reported the death of three teenagers and one minor injured by a lightning strike that occurred during an evening storm.
Statistics confirm that lightning strikes are the leading cause of death from natural phenomena in Cuba, surpassing hurricanes. Between 1987 and 2017, an average of 54 deaths per year were recorded, totaling 1,742 victims over three decades, according to data from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) and the Meteorological Institute.
Specialists warn that lightning can strike even kilometers away from the center of a storm. They recommend seeking shelter in enclosed buildings or vehicles at the first sound of thunder, avoiding trees, poles, metal structures, and bodies of water, and suspending any outdoor activities.
The tragedy in Colón is a new reminder that underestimating these phenomena can have fatal consequences and that preventive education continues to be key to saving lives.
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