DJ Antony Van Der Meer killed by lightning hitting his camera tripod

A radio DJ from Adelaide has died after being struck by lightning, which was conducted through a camera tripod he was holding at the time.

Antony Van Der Meer was hiking through the Rim Walk in Kings Canyon in central Australia when he was caught in the midst of a storm.

The 25-year-old was with family members on New Year's Day when two storm fronts moved over the canyon, producing a violent lighting storm – one of which ended up striking Van Der Meer.

He was holding a metal camera tripod at the time of his death, which acted as lightning conductor.

Police in the Northern Territory said he had been on holiday in the area with his wife and other family members.

In a statement, the family said: "We would like to thank everyone who assisted us following this tragedy. The rangers, clinic staff, other tourists and police have been very supportive."

Van Der Meer had worked in retail and was a former DJ on the Adelaide community radio station, Fresh 92.7.

The station expressed their sorrow at his death, saying that "Antony was part of our community for nearly six years...you may have heard him on Freshly Squeezed from 2011-2012, or on Studio 92 from 2013-2015. Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this extremely difficult time."

Storms are common in the area, but police said that the weather was particularly bad due to the remnants of ex-tropical storm Hilda which was passing through the region.