7 Villagers Died After Being Struck By Lightning While Digging For Cordyceps

On May 28, a lightning strike occurred in Derongma Township, Shiqu County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Seven villagers who were digging for Cordyceps were killed by lightning. On the evening of the 29th, the reporter called the government of Ganzi Prefecture, and the staff confirmed that 7 people in the local area were unfortunately killed by electric shock, and the follow-up incident is being further processed.
According to reports, on May 28, a lightning strike occurred in Derongma Township, Shiqu County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Seven local villagers who went up the mountain to dig for Cordyceps were killed by lightning. The seven people who died were from two families, three of whom were from two families. male and four females.
“We all know about this. There are seven people in the two families.” On the evening of the 29th, a local villager told reporters that the local time to collect Cordyceps is in May and June each year. There have also been lightning strikes in previous years. Not as serious this time. According to the villager, the location where the villagers collect cordyceps is above 4,000 meters above sea level, and the villagers who collect cordyceps spend the night on the mountain. “My family is also picking Cordyceps on the mountain. There is no signal on the mountain, so I am very worried about them,” said the villager.

On the evening of the 29th, the reporter called the Propaganda Department of the Shiqu County Party Committee, “I don’t know much about this, and the relevant departments are investigating.” The staff said that the relevant information is subject to the announcement issued by the government.
“The news on the Internet is true.” On the evening of the 29th, the staff of the Ganzi Prefecture Government Office confirmed that 7 villagers in Derongma Township, Shiqu County were indeed killed by electric shock, and the follow-up incident was being dealt with.
The reporter noticed that on May 29, Shiqu County held an emergency dispatch meeting for lightning protection safety and hedging work. The meeting required all townships (towns, fields), departments (units), and enterprises to establish and improve emergency response plans for lightning disasters, implement a lightning protection safety management system, and do a good job of popularizing lightning protection and disaster reduction in enterprises, institutions, schools, etc. Into the village, into the farmer’s work. It is necessary to vigorously carry out popular science propaganda on lightning protection and disaster reduction through text messages, WeChat, Douyin, and posters in both Tibetan and Chinese languages, teach the public how to scientifically protect against lightning, and strive to improve the general public’s awareness and ability to prevent lightning disasters.
Shiqu County belongs to Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan, and is close to Yushu, Qinghai. It is one of the most remote county towns in Sichuan Province. The county seat is 4,178 meters above sea level, surpassing Litang County, and it is a veritable “high city in the world”.
It is reported that the Shiqu County Meteorological Observatory issued a warning message at 16:52 on May 28, saying that local lightning, strong winds and heavy precipitation are prone to occur in the afternoon and evening. On the 26th, the county also issued a lightning warning, saying that more than 20 towns including Derongma Township will have lightning activities within 6 hours, which may cause lightning disasters.

Common knowledge on lightning protection during Cordyceps digging season

1. How to judge whether a lightning disaster is coming

1. Watch the TV weather forecast and the lightning disaster warning information issued by the meteorological department.
2. Looking at the clouds and knowing the sky, when the clouds in the sky are very low and particularly dark, it is possible to generate lightning.
3. Physical perception, if you feel your hair stand up and your skin vibrate like an ant crawling, you may be struck by lightning.

2. How to prevent lightning disasters

1. When you receive the lightning disaster warning information or judge that there is a lightning disaster, immediately stop the cordyceps digging and go down the mountain quickly. Don’t stop at the tops, ridges, etc.
2. Do not avoid thunderstorms at the entrance of caves, under big rocks or hanging rocks; do not avoid thunderstorms in dripping or damp caves. Choose a deep, dry cave, and try to get to the innermost part of the cave; keep your feet together, and keep your body from touching the cave wall.
3. Turn off your mobile phone, and do not take pictures or make calls; take off your mobile phone, jewelry, hoes and other metal objects, and keep a certain distance from your body. Do not use an umbrella with a metal top and handle.
4. Keep away from tall and isolated objects such as trees, telephone poles, iron towers, and isolated small buildings without lightning protection devices. Try to stay away from hills, rivers, and pools.
5. When setting up tents in the wild, lightning protection devices such as lightning protection poles should be set up at a distance of more than 5 meters from the tent.
6. Try not to walk in the wilderness during thunderstorms. Wear plastic raincoats that do not soak in water; walk slowly and with small steps; do not ride horses, bicycles, or motorcycles; do not carry tools with metal poles such as hoes on your shoulders.
7. Before being struck by lightning, people will suddenly feel that their hair stands up or their skin vibrates. At this time, they should immediately lie down on the ground, or choose to squat down in a low-lying place, with feet together, arms tucked knees, and head bent down. Minimize exposure as much as possible.
8. When crowds avoid lightning, do not crowd together, and keep a distance of several meters between people.

3. How to save yourself when struck by lightning

When someone was struck by lightning, they quickly dialed the “120” emergency number. In addition to being burned by lightning, people who are struck by lightning will also experience suspended animation of sudden stop of heartbeat and breathing. Three first aid methods should be used:
1. First lay the person flat and unbutton the clothes.
2. Mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration.
3. Perform cardiac compressions more than 5 times, if unsuccessful, repeat 2 and 3.