Colombian footballer, Guillermo Denis Beltran, collapsed and passed away during a training session with Bolivian club Santa Cruz at the age of 24, AP reported on Saturday.
Beltran, 24, felt unwell during the training session and was soon on the ground. The club, in a statement, has confirmed that the striker died of respiratory arrest.
“He was training as usual and then he collapsed. They tried to resuscitate him but he died as he was being moved to a clinic," Club director Adolfo Soria Galvarro said.
The Colombian striker's teammates told the media that he felt nausea before collapsing. The club's medical team immediately kickstarted efforts to revive him, but failed. Doctors called in an ambulance as they tried to revive him.
His sudden death left his teammates and the football community in shock.
Real Santa Cruz director Adolfo Soria Galvarro recounted the harrowing event, stating, "He was training as usual and then he collapsed. They tried to resuscitate him but he died as he was being moved to a clinic."
The football community, including the Bolivian Football Federation, expressed condolences to the family.
The Real Santa Cruz football club is situated in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city around 850 kilometers east of La Paz. The club is mourning the loss of Beltran, who joined them just last year from Paraguay's Rubio Nu. Previously, he had started his career at Colombia's Atletico Nacional.
Fernando Costa, the president of the Bolivian Football Federation, offered his condolences to the bereaved family. He assured support for both the club and Beltrán's family. He also announced that there would be an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Beltrán's untimely death.
Beltrán scored one goal in 21 matches for Real Santa Cruz in the Bolivian championship.
