A British tourist died when she was struck by lightning while hiking along the Great Wall.
Britain's Embassy in Beijing said 29- year-old Lora Burningham was killed in Simatai, Miyun county, Beijing.
Locals told how Burningham was with her French boyfriend and his father and had reached the highest of the watchtowers along a popular stretch of the wall when the lightning struck.
A woman and her husband who had been selling souvenirs nearby were also struck, with the wife given up for dead at one point before regaining consciousness two hours after the strike.
According to one witness the soles of her shoes were charred.
An official at the Simatai Great Wall Administrative office said: 'This is something that happens once in 100 years. No one could foresee it.' Locals denied reports that police officers had insisted on a payment before allowing the two survivors to leave with Burningham's body.