The surfing community is mourning the loss of El Salvadoran surfer Katherine Diaz, who tragically passed away last week at the age of 22 after being struck by lightning.
According to a local news outlet, Cancha, Katherine was training at El Tunco beach when lightning struck her while she was in the water. While witnesses tried to help her, she died before paramedics arrived at the scene.
Her uncle, Beto Diaz, shared with Cancha that he and his wife were also in the water when the tragedy occurred.
"Katherine approached to hug [a friend], as soon as she finished hugging her, the noise was heard. She, the friend, was thrown by the force of the lightning strike too, the board threw me. Katherine passed away instantly."
"[T]he sky was clear and it was an unforeseen storm that did not seem to carry much electrical intensity either," Spanish news paper AS has reported
According to the Olympic Channel, Katherine was training for the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surf Games in El Salvador, which are set to take place at the end of May into the beginning of June. This event is a qualifier for the 2021 Olympic Games, where surfing will make it's debut.
The ISA acknowledged Diaz' death on Twitter saying she "embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all, as a global ambassador of the sport."
Thumbnail photo: Getty