Lightning strike kills 16 taking selfies

[Kaido]

Normally I'm not one to post terrible news but DANG 😳

Jaipur: Lightning strike kills 16 taking selfies in India

The incident happened when tourists were at a popular fort in the northern city of Jaipur.

www.bbc.com

I've never heard of anything like this! Really terrible. Apparently the lightning hit a crowd of tourists at a 12-century watchtower Amer Fort, India:

Lightning strike kills 18 selfie takers on tourist tower in Jaipur

Dozens more were killed as a result of a storm system that tore through northern India.

nypost.com

Lightning is a huge problem in India...so far, the monsoon season has seen 76 lightning-strike deaths. For contrast, in America, we average around 50 lightning-strike deaths per year. In India, in just one year between April 1st 2020 to March 31st 2021, lightning strikes have killed 1,619 people. They apparently have something like Tornado Alley here in America, except it's called the Odisha-West Bengal-Jharkhand belt for lightning. Statistically, you have a 90% chance of surviving a strike...lightning hits 240k people each year & kills about 24k:

Lightning Deaths and Injuries, by the Numbers

Lightning. Photo: Shutterstock On Wednesday January 2, 42-year-old Irish adventurer Ian McKeever was leading a group of more than 20 people through the lunar landscape section of Mount Kilimanjaro when he was struck by lightning and killed instantly. The Telegraph reported that fellow climber...

www.outsideonline.com

Oddly enough, lightning kills poor people the most: (almost exclusively)

Why Lightning Disproportionately Kills the Poor

About 24,000 people die each year around the world—the majority of them in developing countries.

www.theatlantic.com

Two contributing factors:

1. Pipes: Newer homes, like in America, have a ton of plumbing & electric lines to divert lightning strikes, especially when done to code. In the 1890's, getting killed in your bed by lightning was common (uh YIKES!). Since U.S. regulation codes on wiring & lightning were put into place & upgraded over time, not a single person in the U.S. has died from a lightning bolt that hit a home in the past 20 years.

2. Tractors: A lot of countries like India still use pre-industrial methods for farming. Tractors these days are fully-enclosed, which helps with lightning strikes & also reduces the number of people who are working outside. In America, lightning almost exclusively kills athletes & outdoor enthusiasts (soccer players, fisherman, campers, etc.)

So if you live in a first-world country & aren't outdoorsy, you have a pretty slim chance of getting hit by lightning!

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Shit, I saw the headlines about this, I assumed it was tourists over the course of some period of time, not like, one event. That's terrible luck.

 

[Torn Mind]

That's why plastic is better. 😉

Also, India is poor place and its people are penny pinchers. So electricity even in the house is wired at a Stone age level.

 

[Kaido]

I saw the headlines about this, I assumed it was tourists over the course of some period of time, not like, one event. That's terrible luck.

Yeah, apparently it's 76 total from the monsoon just in India, and now 18 at that tower. Just bonkers. Africa has major issues with this too, particularly with school kids, because the schools aren't up to code & then get hit:

Uganda lightning strike kills school children

Lightning strikes a primary school in western Uganda, killing at least 18 children and their teacher in a classroom, officials say.

www.bbc.com

 

[Kaido]

So electricity even in the house is wired at a Stone age level.

tbh I was pretty surprised at the impact of economic progress & statistics...housing being wired up, more people indoors instead on farms, safer farm equipment, fewer people on farms due to advanced equipment, etc. That fact that in America we average 50 deaths a year from lightning, ZERO from house strikes in the last 20 years, and the bulk of them are outdoor athletes & outdoor leisure enthusiasts, is pretty crazy. Apparently India averages 2,500 deaths per year from lightning. Horrifying, I had no idea!

 

[Torn Mind]

tbh I was pretty surprised at the impact of economic progress & statistics...housing being wired up, more people indoors instead on farms, safer farm equipment, fewer people on farms due to advanced equipment, etc. That fact that in America we average 50 deaths a year from lightning, ZERO from house strikes in the last 20 years, and the bulk of them are outdoor athletes & outdoor leisure enthusiasts, is pretty crazy. Apparently India averages 2,500 deaths per year from lightning. Horrifying, I had no idea!

The wiring is a danger in unto itself. Appliance shocks are a thing there.

Dying by car accident...though...common as hell.

Traffic collisions in India - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[sandorski]

tbh I was pretty surprised at the impact of economic progress & statistics...housing being wired up, more people indoors instead on farms, safer farm equipment, fewer people on farms due to advanced equipment, etc. That fact that in America we average 50 deaths a year from lightning, ZERO from house strikes in the last 20 years, and the bulk of them are outdoor athletes & outdoor leisure enthusiasts, is pretty crazy. Apparently India averages 2,500 deaths per year from lightning. Horrifying, I had no idea!

Some Indian Cities are growing by 700k new Residents per Year.

 

[sandorski]

Imagine living in Pre-History and this is a common occurrence. At some point you're gonna start thinking that some Being is out to get you.

 

[Kaido]

Some Indian Cities are growing by 700k new Residents per Year.

One of my IT coworkers is from India & goes back every year. He showed me a video of an intersection by his town...it was like NYC but without stoplights & with a mix of cars, moped-cycles, and animal-pulled carts. Here's some anxiety for your day: (random youtube video)

The trains in Bangladesh are no joke either:

 

[Scarpozzi]

Population density has a lot to do with it too. I mean, when you think of the US, it's a huge country with population density the most-crowded in cities. Countries like Bangladesh (roughly the size of Iowa) with a population density of 1265 per Km2 vs India with a population density of 464 per Km2 .....the US at 36 per Km2....

I'm not sure how religious you are, but if you're in Bangladesh or India, your odds of somebody's God getting pissed at you rises.

 

[Kaido]

Bangladesh (roughly the size of Iowa) with a population density of 1265 per Km2 vs India with a population density of 464 per Km2 .....the US at 36 per Km2....

I try so hard to avoid toxic positivity, particularly comparative suffering, as everyone's individual situation is different & everyone's ability to cope with their particular struggles in life is unique, but man oh MAN does 36 vs. 1265 make me feel like I have nothing to complain about ever again!!

 

[Scarpozzi]

I try so hard to avoid toxic positivity, particularly comparative suffering, as everyone's individual situation is different & everyone's ability to cope with their particular struggles in life is unique, but man oh MAN does 36 vs. 1265 make me feel like I have nothing to complain about ever again!!

25 years ago, I was in high school. My world geography class, my teacher brought in donuts and cinnamon rolls and cakes. He divided the class accordingly based on population density and GDP. Then divided the food accordingly. Those that were in the US or Europe got almost all of the food he brought. It was a startling realization that even a poor person in a 1st world country isn't really poor....and in many cases, they're just worthless because they aren't really here.

The true poor that exist in those countries of extreme population density struggle the most because the country itself can't produce enough food to feed the people that live there. Bangladesh is one of those countries. If they don't import food, they die. There's not enough land or resources to support the people living in the country without outside assistance. (which is why I went straight to that country before starting with India, which is a much larger overall population)

 

[sandorski]

One of my IT coworkers is from India & goes back every year. He showed me a video of an intersection by his town...it was like NYC but without stoplights & with a mix of cars, moped-cycles, and animal-pulled carts. Here's some anxiety for your day: (random youtube video)

The trains in Bangladesh are no joke either:

Here in the Greater Vancouver Regional District(GVRD) there are certain Ethnic Asian stereotypes around Driving. After seeing less than 2 minutes of the first video, I have surmised 2 things: 1 Some old habits are difficult to overcome; 2 At least their Children will have fewer Bad Examples to draw from.

 

[BudAshes]

Some Indian Cities are growing by 700k new Residents per Year.

They ever hear of birth control 😱

 

[sandorski]

They ever hear of birth control 😱

I believe it is from Rural to Urban Migration. Some might be similar to Chinese Urban Growth, people looking for Jobs.

 

[dainthomas]

One of my IT coworkers is from India & goes back every year. He showed me a video of an intersection by his town...it was like NYC but without stoplights & with a mix of cars, moped-cycles, and animal-pulled carts. Here's some anxiety for your day: (random youtube video)

The trains in Bangladesh are no joke either:

I can smell those videos.

 

[pete6032]

Me: Wow look how crowded it is on the Chicago subway today!
Bangladesh: Hold my beer...

 

[bbhaag]

Ok so I just read the first article linked to not the rest of them and honestly the first few sentences jumped out at me.

A lightning strike killed at least 16 people and injured many more in Jaipur in northern India on Sunday.

The victims were taking selfies in the rain on top of a watch tower at the city's 12th Century Amer Fort, a popular tourist attraction.

Honestly isn't this like What Not To Do In a Lighting Storm:101?? I don't want to come off as sounding mean or unempathetic but damn guys c'mon.

 

[Spacehead]

I just watched a 10 min. video of a guy driving a motorcycle in India & i'm still not 100% sure which side of the road they're supposed to drive on. It's like driving down a one way street & other cars/bikes/trucks/people are coming from all 4 directions.
Then they get to a point where they're in a grassy/wooded area & at that point i wouldn't of been surprised if a fucking tiger had jumped out on them.

 

[Kaido]

I just watched a 10 min. video of a guy driving a motorcycle in India & i'm still not 100% sure which side of the road they're supposed to drive on. It's like driving down a one way street & other cars/bikes/trucks/people are coming from all 4 directions.
Then they get to a point where they're in a grassy/wooded area & at that point i wouldn't of been surprised if a tiger had jumped out on them.

Apparently they actually average about 100 tiger-related human deaths per year in India:

India recorded over 100 tiger deaths last year; MP has maximum mortalities followed by Maharashtra | Dehradun News - Times of India

India lost over 100 tigers in 2020 due to various causes ranging from territorial fights, poaching, road mishaps and natural reasons. According to the

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

We average less than one a year in America. The statistics here are very odd; there roughly 3,200 wild tigers around the world, but in America, we have 5,000 captive tigers, although they estimate the unregistered tiger population in America to be closer to 10,000, with only 350 of those being in accredited associations:

America Has a Tiger Problem And No One’s Sure How to Solve It

No one even knows how many of the big cats are in the United States

www.smithsonianmag.com

Elephant-related human deaths in India are close to 500 per year:

Solving India's deadly conflict between humans and elephants | CNN

Around 500 people and 100 elephants die every year in India, as the country's growing population encroaches on wildlife habitats. Finding ways for humans and elephants to co-exist is becoming increasingly urgent.

www.cnn.com

Horrific. I can't imagine:

"A lot of the elephant encounters happen by chance," says Karanth, who was recently named a "Wild Innovator" by the non-profit Wild Elements Foundation, in a new program to support environmental projects led by women worldwide. Farmers trying to protect their crops can be accidentally killed by elephants when they try to chase them away, she says. "We've also documented a lot of deaths where people happen to be walking home at night and they just run into elephants."

In 2019, lightning killed 2,900 people in India:

Lightning strikes kill 76 people in India; some victims were taking selfies

Emergency teams were checking if any victims had fallen into a deep moat on one side of a historical fort.

www.cbsnews.com

Granted, it's a huge place. They've almost topped 1.4 billion:

India Population (2025) - Worldometer

Population of India: current, historical, and projected population, growth rate, immigration, median age, total fertility rate (TFR), population density, urbanization, urban population, country's share of world population, and global rank. Data tables, maps, charts, and live population clock

www.worldometers.info

China is almost at 1.45 billion:

China Population (2025) - Worldometer

Population of China: current, historical, and projected population, growth rate, immigration, median age, total fertility rate (TFR), population density, urbanization, urban population, country's share of world population, and global rank. Data tables, maps, charts, and live population clock

www.worldometers.info

The crazy thing is that American has the third-highest population, which is at about 331 million, far below China & India:

Population by Country (2025) - Worldometer

List of countries and dependencies in the world ranked by population, from the most populated. Growth rate, median age, fertility rate, area, density, population density, urbanization, urban population, share of world population.

www.worldometers.info

 

[Kaido]

I also learned that scientists use small rockets for lightning research & lightning control:

Lightning rocket - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Red Squirrel]

Damn that's pretty crazy, talk about horrible luck for those people.

My work building got hit by lightning once. My coworker could feel his hairs raising and then the lights kind of dimmed, then he heard a loud BANG. He ran outside as that was just his first instinct and people were pointing at the building and said it got hit directly by a strike. It hit the GPS antenna and the antenna was on the ground, on fire. It had also taken out lot of equipment. They had to change tons of cards in everything, redo all the grounding etc.

Fast forward like 10ish years later while he was on shift again (talk about luck lol) one of our other buildings got hit by lightning. GPS antenna again LOL. Took out tons of equipment that time too and even burnt the main building ground. There was a tech inside the building in the phone switch room and he saw bolts of lightning going across the racks.

I ended up taking over as it was like 15 minutes before the end of his shift. Had to try to source out a GPS antenna that someone can drive over to that building, and techs were scrambling to figure out the rest of the damage. Pretty crazy stuff. Lightning strikes can be weird to deal with too as the extent of the damage seems so random. You also get failures later down the line. Think it took a good month to recover from that.

Moral of story if you want a good lightning rod just put up a GPS antenna lol.

 

[sdifox]

Damn that's pretty crazy, talk about horrible luck for those people.

My work building got hit by lightning once. My coworker could feel his hairs raising and then the lights kind of dimmed, then he heard a loud BANG. He ran outside as that was just his first instinct and people were pointing at the building and said it got hit directly by a strike. It hit the GPS antenna and the antenna was on the ground, on fire. It had also taken out lot of equipment. They had to change tons of cards in everything, redo all the grounding etc.

Fast forward like 10ish years later while he was on shift again (talk about luck lol) one of our other buildings got hit by lightning. GPS antenna again LOL. Took out tons of equipment that time too and even burnt the main building ground. There was a tech inside the building in the phone switch room and he saw bolts of lightning going across the racks.

I ended up taking over as it was like 15 minutes before the end of his shift. Had to try to source out a GPS antenna that someone can drive over to that building, and techs were scrambling to figure out the rest of the damage. Pretty crazy stuff. Lightning strikes can be weird to deal with too as the extent of the damage seems so random. You also get failures later down the line. Think it took a good month to recover from that.

Moral of story if you want a good lightning rod just put up a GPS antenna lol.

What the hell is a GPS antenna? DGPS? Unless your building wanders, I don't see the point.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Speaking of lightning strikes hitting random notable objects and/or people....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1415213820302307331

 

[Red Squirrel]

What the hell is a GPS antenna? DGPS? Unless your building wanders, I don't see the point.

Used for clocking between central offices. Lot of stuff like T1s and fibre optics etc need to keep in sync at two end points. Only some of the major offices need the actual antenna though as the clocking signal can be sent to the others through dedicated circuit. (usually a fibre I think).