Woman succumbs to heart attack triggered by lightning strike

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A woman suffering from a heart illness died following a lightning strike at Hacienda San Miguel, Barangay San Miguel, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental last Tuesday.

Police identified the victim as Elizabeth Arevalo, 65, of the said village.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Lowell Garinganao, city police chief, said that Arevalo and some of her co-workers were preparing to go home after working in a sugarcane field when rain fell. They took shelter for a while until lightning struck.

Garinganao said the victim’s co-workers were surprised when she suddenly fell unconscious. They sought help in bringing the victim to the hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival.

Garinganao said that based on the postmortem examination, the victim initially died from a heart attack.

“May ginabatyag na siya kuno according sa family niya, and basi na trigger pag kilat kay gulpi lang daw siya natumba,” he added.