Lightning strike kills 11 at Indian tourism site

At least 11 people have been confirmed dead after lightning struck at a popular tourist spot in the city of Jaipur, in India’s northern state of Rajasthan.

The unfortunate incident occured on Sunday evening at the Amer Fort on the outskirts of the city, according to Shankar Lal Saini, a senior disaster management official in Jaipur, who confirmed the incident.

“There was a tower there. When the lightning struck, the tower’s wall collapsed, many people were buried under it.

“Since the fort is on a hill, when the debris was falling and space reduced, some people also fell into a ditch.”

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Saini said the accident happened at 6.30pm on Sunday and police and civil defense force officials carried out rescue operations until 7am on Monday.

“The 11 bodies recovered included women and children. The victims were declared dead on arrival at the city’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital.

“A further 11 people were rescued and are in stable condition. The victims at the fort included locals as well as tourists.

“Because it is a hilly area and there are a lot of trees, the rescue teams kept looking till morning in case anyone is left behind but now all people have been accounted for,” Saini said.

By Isaac Dachen

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