Dalai Lama's nephew Jigme Norbu, 45, killed by SUV in Florida

A nephew of the Dalai Lama was killed on a road in Florida during a trek to raise awareness of the Tibetan struggle for independence from China.

Jigme Norbu, 45, was struck by a sport utility vehicle on state road A1A along Florida's eastern coast on Monday evening, the highway patrol reported.

Norbu was on a 300-mile "Walk for Tibet" from St Augustine to West Palm Beach. He had done similar walks several times before, including one of 900 miles in 2009 from Indiana to New York, The Guardian informs.

He was three minutes away from a rendezvous point with his two walking companions, who had gone on ahead, when the crash occurred.

Reports by local media said Norbu was walking on the west side of the road, which did not have a pavement and was not lit, Telegraph says.