The lightning struck on Monday as a group of about 60 indigenous Kogi people were gathering to perform a community ritual in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, regional authorities said.

The national public defender's office, charged with protecting Colombia's human rights, said in a statement that the victims were killed by "an electrical charge from a lightning bolt" during a strong electrical storm.

"Tribal leaders were meeting at the moment when this natural phenomenon took place," it said, adding that a community advocate had been sent to the village.

At least 13 people suffered serious burns and were evacuated by military helicopter to receive treatment in the provincial capital, Santa Marta, on the Caribbean Sea coast. The army, which is helping with rescue efforts, said rough weather was making it difficult for officials to remove the bodies from the site.

The Colombian government's emergency management unit said it would send a team to the area. President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his "solidarity" with the indigenous community on Twitter.

The lightning strike occurred near the town of Guachaca in an isolated region that is home to several indigenous communities.

nm/msh (Reuters, dpa, AFP)