Moment a huge bolt of lightning strikes world's statue in Brazil

Incredible moment a huge bolt of lightning strikes 125ft Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil (again!)

• Lightning struck Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue this past Friday
• The 130-foot statue in Brazil’s Rio De Janeiro, is visited by two million each year 
• Shockingly, it is the third time in 15 years the statue has been hit by such a strike

Lightning struck Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue over the weekend – leaving social media users stunned after the bolt was caught on film.

The 125-foot statue, set in Brazil’s Rio De Janeiro, is visited by nearly two million people every year – and, oddly enough, it’s the third time in 15 years it has been hit by such a strike.

Still an exceedingly rare occurrence, the bolt struck the head of the religious figure on February 10, illuminating it a flash that’s now seen by millions across the globe.

Some managed to snap photos of the phenomenon, with photographer Fernando Braga capturing both images and video footage of the lightning strike as it happened.

Now being circulated online, the mind-blowing media has mesmerized many, being viewed more than 20million times.

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Lightning struck Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue over the weekend – leaving social media users stunned after the bolt was caught on film

A post shared by Fernando Braga (@fsbragaphotos)

Images of lighting striking the world’s largest statue of Jesus were first posted to Twitter by a user named Massimo, who gave credit to Braga for the picture. 

Braga – a self-described ‘hobbyist’ whose social media also features several pictures of the statue under more normal conditions – took several other photos as well, as well as the aforementioned video that captured the dramatic scene in full.

As the media made its way online, many questioned whether the occurrence was the work of some divine, otherworldly power. Others commended Braga for capturing such a visceral, temporal moment.

One user remarked how, shockingly, this was not the first time the statue – which was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 – was hit by lightning, with it being stuck two times in less than two decades, in 2008 and 2014.

‘At this point Zeus or Thor,’ the user joked on one of several posts showing Braga’s snaps. ‘Jokes apart, this is a quite recurrent event, being the highest point, it’s just the luck of having someone doing photography at the right time.’ 

Another hailed the cameraman for his photo-taking prowess, commenting on one of his stills: ‘What a shot! Thanks for sharing.’

The 125-foot statue, set in Brazil’s Rio De Janeiro, is visited by nearly two million people every year – and, oddly enough, it’s the third time in 15 years it has been hit by such a strike

A third joked: ‘Mom! Thor and Jesus are at it again!’ while another user simply stated, ‘Wow! Oh just WOW!’

Others remarked how the photos of the lightning appeared to be nothing less than a godly scene – with the video in particular leaving onlookers awestruck.

The images and media came a storm caused havoc in the seaside city of Rio, felling trees in several neighborhoods. The statue, thankfully, was not damaged.

That, however, was not the case the last time it was hit nearly a decade ago in January 2014 – an occurrence that was also caught on camera. At the time, officials revealed the bold damaged the effigy’s thumb, which then had to be prepared.

Six years prior, the statue was stuck by lightning for the first time – though, in that instance, the statue came out unscathed.

That said, the statue’s location overlooking the seaside city may be to blame for the unusual amount of electrically charged incidents –  the iconic statue is the largest stone-work of Jesus ever built, and stands more than 2,000 feet above Rio on top of the Corcovado Hill. 

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