Mom killed by lighting strike while hiking with husband in Peru

An Argentine mother vacationing with her husband in Peru was killed in a lightning strike during a group hike.

Gabriela Basallo, 32, and her husband, Samuel Sierra, were returning from a hike in a mountainous region known as Valle Rojo outside the city of Cusco on Tuesday when the strike occurred, according to state news agency Andina.

Sierra was also injured by the lightning.

Basallo's body remained overnight at the site due to snow and rain in the area and was not recovered until Wednesday morning by first responders.

Her clothing and body displayed multiple burn marks. 

Her remains were transported to a local morgue in the municipality of Sicuani, outside Cusco.

Basallo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Santiago, Chile as a teen, local Argentine news outlets reported.

She studied cosmology and comprehensive aesthetics and worked as a freelance makeup artist.

She had been working in the logistic department at Sweet Dried Fruit since 2020 and recently married Sierra.

She leaves behind a 10-year-old son. 

'I love you my little sister,' Basallo's sister Florencia wrote in a social media post. 

'I should have told you more times how much I love you. It only helps me to know that the last time I saw you, you were this happy.'

Basallo is the second person to be killed by a lightning strike in Peru this month.

José De La Cruz died while playing in an amateur soccer match on November 3 in Chica, a town located about 200 miles east of the Peruvian capital Lima.

Local broadcaster Onda Deportivo was airing the match between Familia Chocca and Juventud Bellavista when the referee stopped the game moments after lightning struck near the field.

The players were walking off the field when a second bolt struck De La Cruz and knocked seven players to the ground as fans raced for cover.