18 October 2023 , 14:42
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A British pub landlord died while "in pursuit of the perfect photograph" on holiday in the Himalayan mountains in India, an inquest has heard.
Ivan Brown had clambered onto a low roof in the district of Chamba as a vantage point to take a photograph overlooking the mountain range. But the inquest into his death heard that the 71-year-old had been electrocuted while attempting to steady himself using an overhead cable, which he was unaware was live.
The court heard Mr Brown, who was the landlord of the Murderers in Norwich, Norfolk, was six weeks into an eight-week Indian trip with his friend David Linder, with the pair fulfilling a lifelong ambition to visit the nation. The pair had already visited several sites including Delhi and the Taj Mahal, not stopping in one place to ensure they saw as much of the country as possible.
Ivan Brown died in IndiaThe incident happened in Baikunth Nagar near Dalhousie on April 2, this year. Mr Linder told the hearing: "We were just a couple of septuagenarians backpacking across India to discover the history, culture and geography of a fascinating country - although in reality we were staying in hotels and driving. As we were leaving our hotel we found the most stunning view and asked our driver to pull over. Ivan was always in pursuit of the perfect photograph and reached up on a cable not realising it was live."
The shock caused Mr Brown to fall backwards, hitting his head on the wall below. Mr Linder added: "I believe he died instantly." Area coroner for Norfolk Yvonne Blake concluded that Mr Brown, who was from Upper King Street, Norfolk, had been as the result of an accident.
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