Five garlic workers were struck by lightning at the El Chacay farm in Malargüe on Monday afternoon. The electrical discharge struck the harvesters after they took shelter from a thunderstorm under a tree.
The five workers suffered burns to their backs, legs, and faces. One was knocked unconscious and later became unable to move his body. Relatives of the victims reported delays in the arrival of medical assistance. The incident happened around 4 pm, the Coordinated Emergency Service was alerted an hour later, and ambulances arrived at the farm around 6:30 pm.
After being taken to the Regional Hospital of Malargüe, three of the victims, aged 23, 30, and 40, are stable and under observation. However, two of the injured, aged 40 and 41, were referred to the Hospital Santa Isabel de Hungary, in Guaymallén, due to the seriousness of their injuries. According to the medical report, they suffered A-AB type burns, affecting between 12% and 15% of their bodies.
Family members and witnesses recounted the magnitude of the impact. One mother was able to speak to her son, who explained that the shock threw him 20 meters from where he was standing.
Source: diariondi.com