A 35-year-old tourist from Kerala died due to a lightning strike at Miramar beach in Goa on Tuesday, the authorities reported on Thursday. He has been identified as Akhil Vijayan.
At around 8:50 pm, the beach was hit by heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning, The Goan stated.
As Vijayan, along with a group of seven to eight people, hurried to their car from Miramar to avoid the rain, lightning suddenly struck.
The weather phenomena left Vijayan, his wife, and a male friend unconscious, the Times of India reported.
Speaking to The Goan, witnesses described the terrifying moment when the group hurriedly left the beach due to worsening weather.
While Vijayan's wife and the friend soon regained consciousness, he remained unconscious. Police suspected he had suffered a heart attack and took him to GMC hospital for treatment.
“The 108 Ambulance was swiftly called and Vijayan was rushed to the Goa Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Bambolim. Efforts to save his life proved futile, as doctors stated he was dead on arrival,” the police told The Goan.
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Vijayan, who was a resident of Kerala's Ernakulam, died by “electrocution and blast injuries consistent with lightning strike”, the postmortem revealed as per the police.
{{/usCountry}}Vijayan, who was a resident of Kerala's Ernakulam, died by “electrocution and blast injuries consistent with lightning strike”, the postmortem revealed as per the police.
{{/usCountry}}Herald Goa reported that Vijayan and his friends reached Goa on May 13 and checked into Circuit House in Altinho. On May 14, the group rented a car and visited Miramar Beach, where the incident happened.
As per reports, the body was handed over to the family members, who flew it to Kerala.
Vijayan, who worked in the taxi business, is survived by his wife and two daughters, as per Herald Goa.
Miramar Beach, located three kilometres from the capital city of Panaji, is often bustling with tourists and locals.
Meanwhile, at least 11 individuals lost their lives on Thursday afternoon after being struck by lightning in various locations across the Malda district of West Bengal.