In October 1998, a local football match in eastern Kasai province, Democratic Republic of Congo, turned into one of the most shocking tragedies in sports history.
Two community teams — Bena Tshadi and Basanga — were facing off in what had been a competitive match. The score was tied 1–1. Spectators stood around the pitch, cheering. Nothing seemed unusual.
Then the sky exploded.
A powerful bolt of lightning struck the field without warning.
Within seconds, all 11 players from the Bena Tshadi team were killed instantly. Around 30 spectators and others nearby were injured, some seriously.
The scene was described as chaotic and surreal. Survivors could not immediately understand what had happened.
The Mystery That Followed
What made the tragedy even more disturbing was one detail:
None of the players from the opposing Basanga team were harmed.
They were on the same field. Under the same sky. In the same storm.
Yet only one team suffered fatalities.
The uneven impact led to widespread shock and confusion across the region.
Science or Superstition?
In a region where cultural beliefs in spiritual forces remain strong, rumors quickly spread. Some locals believed the strike was not natural, but the result of a curse or witchcraft.
Others later offered scientific explanations — suggesting possible differences in positioning, footwear materials, ground conductivity, or how the lightning dispersed across the wet surface.
No definitive public conclusion ever fully settled the mystery.
A Reminder of Nature’s Power
Lightning strikes are rare but extremely dangerous. According to global weather data, a direct strike or ground current can cause instant cardiac arrest and catastrophic injuries.
But the loss of an entire team in a single strike remains one of the most unusual lightning disasters ever reported in sports.
That day in 1998 is still remembered in Kasai.
Not as a match.
But it was a moment when nature decided the outcome.