Geneva, April 18: The iconic Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland was lit up with Indian tricolour in a show of solidarity with India during its fight against COVID-19  pandemic. The national flag of India beamed on Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt to express solidarity to all Indians in the fight against COVID-19. The Embassy of India to Switzerland, took to Twitter and posted a photo of the mountainside lit up with the Indian flag on the Swiss Matterhorn to send message of hope. The tweet by the Embassy was later retweeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The breathtaking light illumination series on the mountain is part of an effort to spread hope amid the coronavirus pandemic across the globe. Reports inform that the mountain has been lit up with the flags of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and others in recent weeks along with the hashtags #hope, “#StayAtHome” and #AllOfUs — onto the 14,690-foot tall mountain.

Here's the tweet by PM Narendra Modi:

Zermatt Matterhorn — a website that promotes tourism to the local town of Zermatt, also shared the picture of the Indian tricolor on its Facebook Page. "As one of the most populous countries in the world, India is suffering from the Corona crisis. The challenges in such a large country are immense. The Indian flag on the Matterhorn is intended to express our solidarity and give hope and strength to all Indians", the post read.

Here's the Facebook Post by Zermatt Matterhorn:

Gerry Hofstetter, a light artist, was selected to illuminate the mountain daily starting March 24, according to Zermatt Matterhorn. The renowned Swiss light artist has been lighting up the 14,690 feet mountain with spectacular displays of country flags and messages of hope to inspire solidarity as people face up to the alarming spread of the deadly pandemic.

Watch Video: 

In India, the total number of COVID-19 cases crossed a 14000-mark on Saturday and stood at 14,378. The death toll in the country has increased to 480. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 2.2 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 193 countries and territories while the death toll due to the pandemic surged past 150,000 worldwide.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2020 12:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).