A 125 foot tall Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil was struck by a massive bolt of lightning
Over the weekend, lightning struck the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, stunning social media users as the event was captured on video.
The 125-foot Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attracts nearly two million visitors each year. It has been struck by lightning three times in the last 15 years, which is unusual.
Although extremely rare, a bolt of lightning struck the religious figure’s head on February 10th, illuminating it in a flash seen by millions around the world.
Photographer Fernando Braga captured both photos and video footage of the lightning strike as it occurred, and others were also able to capture images of the phenomenon.
The mesmerizing video of the lightning strike has now been viewed over 20 million times online, leaving many in awe.
Massimo, a Twitter user, was the first to post images of lightning striking the world’s largest statue of Jesus, crediting Braga for the image.
Braga, who describes himself as a hobbyist and has several photos of the statue in normal conditions on his social media, captured several additional photos and a video of the dramatic lightning strike.
Some questioned whether the lightning strike was a manifestation of divine power, while others praised Braga for capturing the intense and fleeting moment.
Despite being named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, one user pointed out that this was not the first time the statue had been struck by lightning. In fact, it had been hit twice in the previous two decades, once in 2008 and again in 2014.
On one of the several posts featuring Braga’s photos, the user joked, ‘At this point Zeus or Thor. Jokes aside, this is a fairly common occurrence, being the highest point, and it’s simply the luck of having someone doing photography at the right time.»
Another person praised Braga’s photography abilities and thanked him for sharing his photos, saying of one of them, «What a shot!»
‘Mom!’ joked a third. Thor and Jesus are back at it!’ while another simply said, ‘Wow! Oh my goodness!’
Some observers said the photos of the lightning strike looked like a divine scene, while the video, in particular, left viewers speechless.
The photos and videos were taken during a storm that wreaked havoc on the seaside city of Rio de Janeiro, resulting in fallen trees in multiple neighborhoods. Fortunately, no damage was done to the statue.
The same cannot be said of the statue’s previous lightning strike in January 2014, which damaged the effigy’s thumb and necessitated repairs. The incident was also recorded on video.
The statue was struck by lightning six years before the 2014 incident, but it was not damaged.
