Groom in China killed by lightning strike while posing for wedding photos at famous scenic spot during thunderstorm
- A groom posing for pre-wedding photos in the popular Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tourist area
- The man was declared dead after being taken to a nearby hospital, his fiancée and others nearby were unharmed in the accident
A man has been killed by a lightning strike while posing for pre-wedding photos with his fiancée during a thunderstorm at a popular scenic spot in southwestern China.
According to a statement by the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Management Committee in Lijiang, Yunnan province, the man was hit by a lightning bolt just after 1:30pm on Wednesday at Spruce Meadow, a popular tourist spot famous for its grasslands and snow-capped mountain backdrop.
Local emergency services soon arrived at the scene and took the man, surnamed Ruan, to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
People who were standing close to the victim were unhurt, a tour manager who was present told The Paper.
A video taken just after the accident showed emergency workers in heavy rain wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas moving the man onto a stretcher.
The local meteorological authority had issued a thunder and lightning yellow alert, the third highest under China’s four-tier warning system, about 30 minutes before the lightning struck.
A tourist at the site told The Paper that it had been raining since noon that day and he heard only a loud peal of thunder during the storm which he believed had accompanied the deadly lightning strike.