Horrifying moment Venezuelan mother Froilanis Rivas, 34, is killed by lightning strike on a Colombia beach
- Venezuelan Froilanis Rivas died on Tuesday after being struck by lightning on a beach in Cartagena, Colombia
- The 34-year-old was with her family when the shock sent her into cardiac arrest
- She was taken to a local medical facility, where the doctor attempted to revive her for 45 minutes before she was pronounced dead
A family outing on a beach ended in tragedy when a Venezuelan woman was struck by lightning and killed in Colombia’s Caribbean coastal province of Cartagena.
Froilanis Rivas, 34, was standing on the shore of a beach in the town of La Boquilla on Tuesday when she was shocked, according to footage filmed by a bystander.
A man could be seen walking nearby and falling into the sand from the impact of the lightning bolt.
He then stood up and ran a few yards before stopping and looking back.
Froilanis Rivas died Tuesday after being struck by lightning on a beach in Cartagena, Colombia. The 34-year-old went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors attempted to revive her four 45 minutes before she was declared dead.
A bystander captured the moment lightning struck Froilanis Rivas on a beach in Cartagena, Colombia, on Tuesday
Paramedics rushed Rivas, a mother of two, to Serena del Mar Hospital and attempted CPR for 45 minutes after she went into cardiac arrest. She was later pronounced dead.
The tragic incident comes almost two months after a Mexican woman and a hammock seller were killed by lightning on a beach in Michoacán, Mexico.
Elvia de Jesús was walking behind her husband after emerging from the water when she and the seller, Felix Andres, were struck by a bolt of lightning on Maruata beach on September 15.
While the Jesús’ husband managed to take refuge under the canopy from the approaching storm, she was struck by lightning.
Andrés walked a few meters to the left when he was shocked less than a second later.
Froilanis Rivas, a native of Venezuela and mother of two, falls into the sand moments after being struck by lightning on a beach in the Colombian Caribbean coastal province of Cartagena
Froilanis Rivas went into cardiac arrest after being struck by lightning on a beach in Colombia and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors tried to revive her before she died
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that at least 40 million lightning strikes occur in the United States each year.
The chance of being struck by lightning each year is less than one in a million, and at least 90 percent of victims survive.
National Weather Service data shows that 13 people were killed by lightning strikes in the United States in 2023, including three people in separate boating and swimming incidents.
By comparison, 19 people died after being affected last year, up from 11 in 2021.