Defender of the Belgian "Lokeren" Gregory Mertens lost consciousness during the first half of the match against KRC Genk in the championship of the state. Now the athlete is able synthetic coma.

Belgian footballer collapsed on the pitch in the 25th minute of the match. The referee immediately stopped the game and called to him healers.

The 24-year-old player was recorded cardiac arrest. After carrying out all necessary resuscitation procedures doctors brought Mertens in one of hospitals of Genk, where he entered into a state of synthetic coma, notifies HLN.be. Now doctors are fighting for the life of the athlete.

Mertens started his career at club Brugge, and last summer moved to Lokeren. This season he has made 15 appearances in the Belgian League and 3 games in the Europa League. Meeting Lokeren - Genk is not completed in consequence of the accident.

Note that sometimes professional athletes die during competitions. So, in early November, 2014 during the championship match Australia cricket tragedy struck. The player of national team of the Green continent Phillip Hughes died after being hit in the head. The accident happened during a duel, in which "New South Wales" took the club "South Australia". Famous athlete was unable to recapture put a competitor of the ball.

The player was carried off on a stretcher and taken by helicopter to a clinic St Vincent's in Sydney. Hughes underwent immediate brain surgery and was put into an artificial coma. Health workers considered the condition of the athlete as a critical and fighting for his life. But out of the coma athlete and did not work.
sections: Sport, World News