6 dead, 10 hurt in China after lightning strikes pavilion sheltering visitors from storm
- Cities urged to make infrastructure more resilient as more severe weather forecast for the country
Six people died and 10 were injured in eastern China on Sunday when a lightning strike triggered the collapse of a pavilion as the group sheltered from a severe storm.
Lightning struck the pavilion in Fangmaoshan park in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, at around 8.30pm, bringing down the structure and trapping the 16 visitors inside, state news agency Xinhua reported.
A search and rescue operation was completed before midnight on Sunday. Six people were pronounced dead on arrival at hospital a few hours later, while the other 10 were reported by local authorities to be stable by early Monday.
“Next step, relevant public facilities will be comprehensively inspected to ensure safety,” Xinhua said.
In China’s four-tier alert system, yellow is the third-highest level.
Severe convective weather includes thunderstorms, short-term heavy precipitation, strong winds and hail featuring “rapid impact, strong intensity, and strong catastrophic potential”, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
