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Newspaper article

Migrant worker dies after being struck by lightning – Norfolk County, Ont.

Date

2012-08-18

Authors

Yamri Taddese

Newspaper title

TheStar.Com

Full text

A 48-year-old Mexican migrant worker is dead after he was struck by a lightning that tore through Norfolk County, Ont., Wednesday evening.

Ezequiel Cervantes was working on a ginseng farm in Courtland, Ont., with eight other migrant workers when the lightning struck him, the OPP said.

Emergency crews discovered Cervantes without vital signs and rushed him to a London, Ont., hospital. He remained in critical condition until he was pronounced dead just after 5 p.m. on Thursday.

The labour ministry has been called to investigate.

The OPP issued a lightning warning Thursday, saying 6-12 people are killed and 60-70 others injured each year as a result of lightning strikes in Canada.

Const. Ed Sanchuk said Wednesday the safest thing to do during a thunderstorm is go indoors. If caught outside, low-lying areas like valleys and ditches are safer, he said, adding lying flat on the ground is the worst possible thing people can do during lightning.

Squat and wrap your arms around your legs to “minimize your contact with the ground,” Sanchuk advised.

Links

Economic sectors

Agriculture and horticulture workers

Content types

Policy analysis

Target groups

Public awareness

Geographical focuses

Ontario and México

Spheres of activity

Agriculture, Health sciences, Law, Management of human resources, and Political science

Languages

English