Nearly 80 people have been struck by lightning in several Indian states, including several taking selfies near an ancient fort in Rajasthan, authorities said on Monday (July 12th).
Hundreds of people die each year in India in the storms and torrential rains that accompany the onset of the monsoon.
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Among the 76 victims, at least 23 died in the state of Rajasthan (northwest), including a dozen who watched the spectacle of the storm over the city of Jaipur on Sunday from watchtowers near the famous Amber Fort - which dates from the 12th century - an official of the state disaster department told AFP.
"
It started to rain when people were already
in" the fort, Saurabh Tiwari, a police official in Jaipur, told AFP.
“
They took refuge in the towers as the rain intensified.
He said as many as 30 people were on the towers when lightning struck.
“
Some of the injured were unconscious, others ran away,
” said Saurabh Tiwari.
Authorities told local media some of the victims were taking selfies during the storm.
Rescue teams were checking to see if any victims had fallen into a deep ditch on one side of the towers.
Residents push their way through a waterlogged street after heavy rains in Amritsar on July 12, 2021. NARINDER NANU / AFP
Every year, tens of thousands of tourists visit Amber Fort, a medieval fortress located on top of a hill outside of Jaipur, offering panoramic views of the city.
In neighboring Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, at least 42 people died from lightning strikes on Saturday and Sunday, officials said, who did not give further details.
Eleven other people died in the central state of Madhya Pradesh over the weekend, an official at the state's disaster control center told AFP.
Two of them, who had taken their camels and sheep to graze, were sheltering under a tree when they were struck by lightning, the official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the families of the victims would be offered compensation.
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Almost 2,900 people were killed by lightning in India in 2019, according to the most recent official figures available. The great monsoon from June to September is crucial for the life and agriculture of the Indian subcontinent, but each year causes significant damage and causes hundreds of deaths in this region of the world which is home to one fifth of humanity.
