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Lightning strike kills 11 taking selfies in India and injures many others

The BBC reported that a lightning strike killed at least 11 people and injured many more in the northern city of Jaipur on Sunday.
According to the BBC, the victims were taking selfies in the rain atop a watch tower at the 12th Century Amer Fort, a popular tourist attraction.
Some 27 people were on the tower and the wall of the fort when the incident happened - and some of them reportedly jumped to the ground.
The BBC said lightning strikes have been killing 2,000 Indians on average since 2004.
A senior police officer told the media that the tower was a popular spot in the fort, adding that most of the people among the dead were young.
Sunday alone saw nine more deaths from lightning strikes reported across Rajasthan, the state where Jaipur is located, according to local media reports.
The state's chief minister, Ashok Gehlot, has announced 500,000 rupees ($6,700; £4,800) as compensation for the families of those who have died.
India's monsoon season, which sees heavy rains, typically lasts from June to September.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that deaths by lightning strikes have doubled in the country since the 1960s - one of the reasons they cited was the climate crisis.
The data says that lightning incidents too have increased by 30%-40% since the early to mid-1990s. In 2018 the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh recorded 36,749 lightning strikes in just 13 hours.
Officials say they are more common in areas with thinner tree cover, leaving people vulnerable to being struck.
Source: BBC
Image source: Getty Images-BBC
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- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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