Worshippers escape as lightning strikes Sikh temple

Worshippers at a Sikh temple in the British city of Leicester had a lucky escape when its roof collapsed after being struck by lightning.

CCTV footage showed a group of elderly women were singing hymns at the Ramgarhia Sikh Temple in Leicester Jan 25 afternoon when a bolt of lightning struck, blowing a hole in the roof and sending worshippers fleeing in panic.

The rear wall and roof of the temple collapsed, media reported.

One person who suffered minor injuries was discharged after treatment at a hospital.

Temple president Indy Panesar told Leicester Mercury that it could have been a lot worse as there were 250 people in the prayer room about half an hour before the strike.

"There were about 20 people in the main prayer hall, with some of them being the old women singing," Leicester Mercury quoted Panesar as saying.

"It is a miracle no one was seriously hurt or killed," Panesar said. He said the temple's holy scriptures were not damaged in the roof fall.

"The scriptures were in the main prayer hall and could have taken a direct hit but did not," he said.

"One of the women respectfully collected them and we put them in a safe place. That was another amazing piece of good fortune."