Skåne royal monument destroyed by lightning

A monument to the death of Sweden’s Crown Prince Karl Augustus in 1810 has been completely destroyed after being struck by lightning in Kvidinge, Skåne.

– Suddenly, lightning and a bang came at the same time without warning – it just thundered, says Henrik Hollén, who lives next door to the monument, reports Helsingborgs Dagblad.

It was on Monday evening that lightning struck and the monument collapsed. Photos from the scene show large parts of the monument lying around the plinth.

– The entire pillar is down to the base, says Mats Streer, duty officer at the rescue service, to the newspaper.

A cordon has been set up around the monument.

– There may be a risk of something falling down. The barriers will remain in place for as long as possible, says Streer.

The monument, which was erected in 1826, is built of Kolmård marble and was designed by Stockholm city architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell.

– It is very sad when historical monuments are damaged this seriously by the forces of nature, says Marcus Årskog, press secretary at the Swedish Property Agency, which manages the work, to HD.