Lightning Strike in Holguín Province Claims Three Lives, Injures Four
Moa, Holguín, Cuba – A lightning strike near the town of Cupey, in the Holguín municipality of moa, resulted in three fatalities and four injuries Friday afternoon, according to reports from local journalist Camilo Velazco Petitón of La Voz del Nicquel. The incident occurred after 6:00 PM as a group sought shelter from a sudden downpour.
The deceased have been identified as Leonel Velázquez Legrá, 34, of Moa; Lázaro Rodríguez Peña, 36, of Holguín; and Eniolquis Romero Terrero, 33, of Guama, Guantánamo province.
Injured individuals – Yuxander Robles Robles (Jobo de Sagua de Tánamo), irelemis Ortiz del Rosario (yamaniguey, Moa), Lisbeth Pajan Silot (Moa), and Dantry Revé Quiala (Sagua de Tánamo) – are currently receiving treatment at the Guillermo Luis Hernández Barquero Hospital in Moa. Dr. Osmany Rodríguez Tamayo, a specialist at the hospital, stated that the patients were immediately attended to and are in serious condition, exhibiting symptoms including numbness and abrasions to the eyes and lower limbs.
Irelemis Ortiz del Rosario recounted that the group had taken refuge under an awning around 5:00 PM when the storm began.Approximately an hour later, lightning struck, causing a stinging sensation and throwing him two meters from his position. He then crawled to the road to seek assistance. “The traumatic experience and how difficult it was to see people without reacting as [I] helped,” he shared.
Local political and governmental authorities were present at both the incident site and the hospital.
This tragedy underscores the significant risk posed by lightning strikes in Cuba.According to a publication by the Institute of Meteorology, the country experiences an average of 51 deaths annually due to electric shocks between 1987 and 2023, alongside substantial material losses.
(With details from the Cuban News Agency)
