Jaipur, India: Eleven people were killed when lightning struck near tourist sites
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Shankar Lal Saini, a senior disaster management officer in Jaipur, said lightning struck Amar Fort on the outskirts of the city.
“There was a tower there. When the lightning struck, the wall of the tower collapsed, and many were buried under it.
Saini said the incident took place around 6.30pm on Sunday and police and Civil Defense Force officers carried out rescue operations until 7am on Monday.
The 11 bodies recovered include women and children. The victims were pronounced dead on arrival at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in the city.
A further 11 people have been rescued and are in stable condition, Saini said. Those in the fort include locals and tourists alike.
“Because this is a hilly area, rescue teams were watching until morning if anyone was left behind, but now all the people have been taken into account,” Saini said.
Chief Minister Ashok Kehlot has said that many people have been killed in lightning strikes in other parts of Rajasthan. In a tweet on Sunday, he called on authorities to provide immediate assistance to the families of those killed.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter.
“Many people have lost their lives due to lightning in some parts of Rajasthan. It is very painful. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased: Prime Minister arenarendramodi,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted on Monday morning.
Lightning strikes are common in India and the South Asian region in May and June each year.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, lightning killed 2,885 people in 2017 and 2,357 in 2018.
In June 2020, at least 107 people were killed by lightning strikes in just two days in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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