TOWER TERROR

Eleven Killed as Lightning Hits Tower in India as People Took Selfies

Some people were reportedly seen leaping off the tower in the panic.

One devastating lightning strike killed 11 people in northern India on Sunday. According to BBC News, the mostly young victims had gathered on top of a watchtower in Jaipur’s 12th-century Amer Fort—a popular tourist attraction—to take selfies. There were 27 people on the tower when the lightning struck and the BBC reports that some people were seen leaping off the tower in the panic. An additional nine people were killed in separate lightning strikes in Rajasthan state over the weekend, and 18 more in Uttar Pradesh, bringing to 38 the death toll from both states. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement: “Many people have lost their lives due to lightning in some areas of Rajasthan. This has hurt a lot. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.”