Overview
- A lightning bolt hit the rain‑soaked pitch at Santiphap Stadium on Tuesday, August 4, striking players during a Golok FA Cup semi‑final and killing 24‑year‑old winger Sofwan Awae.
- Local police and hospital officials said 12 other people were injured and taken to Sungai Golok Hospital, including a 22‑year‑old Malaysian player identified as Mohammad/Alif Ezzahan Zulkifli.
- Video of the moment circulated widely on social media, showing a bright flash and players collapsing, and eyewitnesses and medics tried to resuscitate victims on the field before emergency teams arrived.
- Sungai Golok police have completed an initial post‑mortem and opened an investigation, and the Football Association of Thailand and Awae’s club Yala FC issued public condolences.
- The incident has reignited calls to enforce immediate suspension rules and invest in lightning detection and evacuation plans for outdoor sport in monsoon‑prone regions where Thailand recorded hundreds of lightning victims from 2020–2024.