16 February,2011 07:20 AM IST | | Agencies
Jigme Norbu, the nephew of the Dalai Lama, died late on Monday night after being struck by a car while taking part in a pro-Tibet march on a Florida highway, officials said.
The Florida Highway Patrol said in a brief statement yesterday that Norbu was walking on the edge of a local highway in north-eastern Florida when he was hit by an SUV and "was determined to be deceased upon the arrival of emergency services."
Exiled Tibetans attend a memorial service for Dalai Lama's nephew Jigme Norbu yesterday
Local media reported that Norbu, a resident of Indiana, was struck by a 31-year-old motorist from Palm Beach, and said there were two children in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
At the time of his death, Norbu (45), was walking as part of a Walk for Tibet, a 300-mile march from St Augustine to West Palm Beach, according to the Ambassadors for World Peace website.
Reports said that at the time he was struck, Norbu was walking close to the white line separating the part of the highway used for vehicular traffic from the roadway's emergency shoulder.
A spokesman said that the Dalai Lama was "saddened" to hear of his nephew's death and will remember him in his prayers.
"We got the message today," said the Dalai Lama's personal secretary Chhime Rigzing. "He asked about how this had happened. He was saddened by the news."
The February 14-26 walk was to cover 300 miles between the Florida coastal cities of St Augustine and West Palm Beach, according to www.ambassadorsforworldpeace.org.
