Lightning kills two sisters in Batangas

Two teenage sisters died after being struck by lightning in Laurel, Batangas, this Sunday.

According to Maria Magsino, mother of Kathlene, 15, and Kheycee, 13, the two siblings climbed a mountain around 10 a.m. to pick up a coconut and mango that will be used as ingredients for the “suman” or rice cake that they are selling.

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Lightning kills two sisters in Batangas
Lightning kills two sisters in Batangas (Image from Andrew Bernardo, ABS-CBN News)

But bad weather with thunder and lightning came, so they immediately took refuge in a hut.

The mother, Maria, did not think that the lightning they heard would take the lives of their two children.

The two were rushed to the hospital but were declared dead on arrival. The doctor who looked at the siblings confirmed that they had been struck by lightning.

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The accident broke the heart of the sisters’ father Jason as he was extra careful with his daughters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sobra ang pag-iingat na ginagawa ko sa aking mga anak. Unang unang ho ang mga ‘yan di ko pinaalis ng bahay. Kung aalis man ho dito lang sa bundok pupunta ng bukid yun lang,” he said.

(I take great care of my children. First of all, I didn’t allow them to go out of the house. If they leave, they just go to the farm in the mountain.)

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”Napakabait po ng dalawang ‘yan, lalo na po sa magulang ko. Hindi po sila naghihiwalay ng aking ina kung nasan po ang aking ina nandun din po ang dalawang yan,” added Khristel, the victims’ sister.

(They are very kind, especially to my parents. They don’t leave my mother’s side, where my mother is, those two are also there.)

According to the Laurel Police investigation, the victim’s cellphone may have been one of the reasons why they were struck by lightning.

“Siguro kaya nagkaganun ay dahil sa cellphone nung isa sa kanilang anak na si Kheycee nakababata, nung pagkatama ng kidlat, nakita nila na nagcrack ang cellphone ng batang si Kheycee,” said Police Capt. Garry Abregunda, chief of the Laurel Municipal Police Station.

(Maybe that’s why it happened because of the cellphone of one of their children, Kheycee, the younger one. When the lightning struck, they saw that the cellphone of Kheycee cracked.)