Eleven people are dead and 13 injured after they were struck by lighting in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Santa Marta in northern Colombia.

The members of the indigenous Wiwa community were hit by a lightning bolt around midnight on Sunday as they were holding a “traditional meeting”.

The injured suffered first- and second-degree burns from the lightning, an army official stationed in the area said.

The injured were taken to a specialised medical centre in Santa Marta, capital of Magdalena province, in military helicopters.