Nek Chand: Indian artist behind Chandigarh garden dead

Indian artist Nek Chand who created a famous garden of sculptures in the northern city of Chandigarh has died, aged 90.

Chand died in a hospital in Chandigarh after suffering a heart attack on Friday, his son Anuj Saini told AFP news agency.

He used rubble from the city's construction to create sculptures at the 20-acre Chandigarh Rock Garden.

Chand had no formal education and worked as a road inspector in the city.

"I started building this garden as a hobby" in the 1950s, he said in an interview with AFP in December.

"I had many ideas, I was thinking all the time... I saw beauty and art in what people said was junk."

The rock garden was opened in 1976 and it now attracts hundreds of visitors a day.

"He passed away a little after midnight. He had been in hospital for the past few days due to ill health," said Saini.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, saying Chand would "always be remembered for his artistic genius".