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On Tuesday night there were several lightning strikes in Abtwil during a thunderstorm. 14 young people were injured at the Spiserwis sports field and had to be taken to hospital. Eleven players have already left the hospital.
- On Tuesday night, lightning struck the Spiserwis sports ground in Abtwil during a youth soccer game.
- 14 young people between the ages of 15 and 16 were injured and taken to various hospitals Tuesday night; A soccer player was unconscious and Rega flew him to the hospital.
- On Wednesday morning there are still three young people in the hospital.
- Two years ago, the sports field was reviewed for electrical engineering and was evaluated as defect-free at the time.
(rms / dwa / end / rar / give) On Tuesday evening, lightning struck the spotlight at the Spiserwis sports ground during a match between B-Juniors from FC Abtwil-Engelburg and FC Münsterlingen in Abtwil. Then he crossed the field and met several players. Hanspeter Krüsi, media spokesman for the canton of St. Gallen police, said Tuesday night when asked:
«14 young people between 15 and 16 years old were injured. She has been admitted to various hospitals and remains there for surveillance. “
A soccer player was unconscious, he had to be transported by Rega. On Tuesday night, Krüsi cannot give any precise information on the exact state of health. The person concerned suffered an injury due to an electric shock. The exact course of the accident is currently being clarified. No spectators were injured during the game.
On Wednesday morning it is clear: of the total of 14 adolescents, three adolescents are still in the hospital at 9:30 am, according to the police of the canton of San Galo. No more detailed information on her health status was received, according to the message.
According to a statement from FC Münsterlingen, the club’s youth are stable. It also says:
“This also applies to the briefly unconscious junior who had to be treated by Rega.”
Firefighters, police and paramedics moved to Abtwil with a large contingent. Six ambulances and a care team were summoned. Traffic was only slightly restricted due to the incident, so Krüsi continued.
Not the first incident
Lightning struck Sirnach nine years ago
It is not the first time that lightning has struck a sports field in eastern Switzerland. In the spring of 2011 there was a thunderbolt in the second league football match between FC Sirnach-Stella and FC Weesen. Sirnach’s field was wet from rain at the time of the accident. No one was directly hit by lightning. A total of seven people were thrown to the ground by the force of the lightning: two players from each team, the referee and two ball boys. Three victims had to be taken to the hospital for control. The match was stopped immediately after the lightning strike when the score was 2: 1 for the guest.
As a result, there were accusations from Weesen’s visiting club. According to the club, the game could have continued without problems. Suddenly, however, the local club players complained of problems and were apparently unable to play anymore, although nothing was noticeable at the time of the lightning strike. For his part, Sirnach responded to the allegations and claimed that a player from the home team had been driven to the clubhouse after the lightning strike and collapsed with a headache and nausea.
The Eastern Swiss Football Association has a brochure for matches when storms are imminent
Stephan Häuselmann, President of the Eastern Swiss Football Association.
Stephan Häuselmann, president of the Eastern Swiss Football Association, was shocked Wednesday morning:
“The impact is still great today. Our thoughts are with the youth, the parents and the coaches. “
These incidents are always tragic. You can recall an incident at Sirnach when lightning struck during a second division game (see information box). Fortunately, no one was hit back then. But the Eastern Swiss Football Association later wrote a brochure on storms for referees and coaches. In this it says something like:
“If thunder follows lightning after 15 seconds, the storm is about three miles away and therefore dangerously close; the referee should interrupt a football game.”
This information sheet is a supplement to the official referee information sheet of the Referees Committee of the Swiss Football Association. Here are the reasons for leaving the game: Lightning storms are also mentioned. However, a referee may only abandon a game if other measures, such as a stoppage, prove to be “ineffective”.
Under the regulations, only the referee can cancel or interrupt a game, says Häuselmann. Coaches could only request to leave the game.
It is currently being investigated whether the game should have been canceled due to bad weather conditions, in cooperation with the St. Gallen canton police and the prosecution.
The mayor is concerned
Boris Tschirky, mayor of Gaiserwald.
Boris Tschirky, mayor of Gaiserwald, in whose municipality the Spiserwis football field is located, seems concerned about the accident when asked.
“Of course I hope that the young footballers will recover quickly.”
The prosecution will now investigate the incident more closely. Tschirky can say a lot: “The entire system was electrotechnically overhauled two years ago and evaluated as defect-free at the time.”
Several players were injured by a lightning strike on the Spiserwis sports field.
Lightning strikes the house too
The lightning bolt on the sports field wasn’t the only one that night. The fire brigade also had to move because of a house fire at the Ausserdorf Abtwil bus stop. “There were no injuries in this incident,” confirms Hanspeter Krüsi. There was only material damage to the roof.
A second lightning bolt struck a house.
