A lightning bolt killed a man and injured 6 other people during a heavy downpour recorded in northwestern Nicaragua, due to the passage of tropical wave number 21, local authorities reported Wednesday.
The event occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a rural area of the municipality of El Viejo, 141 kilometers northwest of Managua, according to information from the Institute of Legal Medicine.
The victim, Yermaen Corrales Beltrán, a 42-year-old worker, died after receiving the electric shock while waiting for the rain to pass with his co-workers, an official from the Institute of Legal Medicine told government media.
The survivors, all workers from a shrimp farm, were taken to a medical center in the municipality of El Viejo, with injuries of different levels, but none at risk of losing their lives.
Related news: Lightning strikes two people who were leaving a stadium in Florida
The municipality in which the tragedy occurred is part of the department (province) of Chinandega, which is characterized by its extensive plains, various monoculture areas, the presence of volcanoes, one of the warmest environments in Nicaragua, and significant humidity.
These conditions are conducive to the appearance of electrical discharges.
Deaths caused by lightning are common in Nicaragua, especially between May and November, when the country is under the influence of the wet season of the year.
At least 7 people were reported dead when struck by lightning in Nicaragua in 2021, and a similar number was reported in 2020.
In 2019, a total of 81 cows died from receiving this type of electric shock.
