© Marcos BrindicciFile Photo
The game, which took place in Mexico's Tlahuac municipality on Monday, was interrupted by heavy rainfall after halftime.
The players were ordered to leave the field, but five footballers returned to retrieve the ball. Tragically, lightning struck the pitch just as they stepped onto the grass.
The five women were immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where two of them died. The three others suffered second-degree burns, and were reported to be in a stable condition.
The Mexican women's soccer league had just resumed after a lengthy break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with quarterfinal matches being held across the country.
The tragic story from Mexico follows a similar incident in Russia when FC Znamya Truda's teenage goalkeeper Anton Zaborovsky was struck by lightning in a freak training ground accident, leaving him in hospital for two weeks, during which time he was placed into an induced coma to help aid his recovery from the incident.
Zaborovski eventually recovered from his injuries and went on to sign his first professional contract.
Did they wear masks?
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