BRAZIL: Astonishingly, lightning struck the 100-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ that dominates Rio de Janeiro. The breathtaking picture was captured on camera on Friday during a flash storm that rocked Brazil's shore. The statue's head was struck by the flash, which transformed it into a divine image.
Fernando Braga photographed the breathtaking view and posted the images to Instagram. DIVINE LIGHTNING !!! IT'S FRIDAY!!! Recordings taken on February 10, 2023 at 6:55 PM (Christ) and 19:03 PM (Antenna) using NIKON D800 with 70-200mm f/2.8E at 70mm f/8 13" ISO 100," Mr Braga wrote in the caption of the post.
On social media, the astounding images have gained widespread traction. While they have more than 63,000 likes on Instagram, they have more than 20 million views on Twitter.
In the comment section, one user wrote, "At this point Zeus or Thor. 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 said, "Wow! Oh just WOW!"
Another er commented, "What a shot! Thanks for sharing." A 4th jokingly added, "Mom! Thor and Jesus are at it again!"
Notably, the Christ the Redeemer statue is the largest depiction of Jesus in the world and stands more than 2,000 feet above Rio on top of Corcovado Hill. The statue, which was named one of the seven new wonders of the world in 2007, is made of 700 tonnes of reinforced concrete.
The sculpture has been struck by lightning in the past too. According to the BBC, back in 2014, a bolt of lightning damaged the thumb of the iconic figure, following which it underwent restoration work.
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