Nephew of Dalai Lama killed by car on US highway

Jigme Norbu holds a photo of the Dalai Lama, at a rally in San Francisco, 2008. File Photo / AP

FLORIDA - Officials say the nephew of the Dalai Lama has been killed along the side of a Florida highway during a 300-mile (480-kilometer) "Walk for Tibet."

The Florida Highway Patrol says 45-year-old Jigme K. Norbu was hit by a sport utility vehicle about 7:30 p.m. Monday on State Road A1A along the east coast.

According to ambassadorforworldpeace.org, Norbu was walking on Valentine's Day from St. Augustine south to West Palm Beach to raise awareness of the Tibetan struggle for independence from China. He has done the walks several other times including in 2009 from Indiana to New York.

That one marked the 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan rebellion against Chinese rule that resulted in the exile of his uncle.

Norbu of Bloomington, Indiana, was the son of the Dalai Lama's late brother, Taktser Rinpoche.

-AP