Lightning strikes Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue, viral picture leaves netizens in awe

A breathtaking image of a bolt of lightning hitting the Christ the Redeemer statue has gone viral on social media leaving the netizens mesmerised. In 2014, a lightning strike damaged a thumb of the statue.

Rio (Brazil): Some views of nature are unpredictable and astonishing. The availability of the camera got us to believe that something of this sort had happened. The same has happened recently in the most iconic landmark monument in Brazil. A breathtaking image of a bolt of lightning hitting the Christ the Redeemer statue has gone viral on social media leaving the netizens in awe. The incident took place on February 10. The bolt of the flash struck the head of the statue. The statue, situated in Brazil's Rio De Janeria, is visited by nearly two million people every year.

In 2014, a lightning strike damaged a thumb of the statue. The statue has been struck by lightning several times. Despite the damage, the statue remains one of the most iconic landmarks in Brazil and attacks millions of people every year, who come to admire its beauty and pay homage to its religious significance. The statue remains a popular destination for tourists and locals.

The image went viral on social media. The image of the lightning was posted on Twitter by a user @Rainmaker1973 and mesmerising image was captured by Fernando Braga. Since posting, it has gone viral with likes and views. The post was flooded with comments. One stated, "At this point Zeus or Thor. Jokes apart, this is a quite recurrent event, being the highest point, it's just luck of having someone doing photography at the right time." Another wrote, "Wow! Oh just WOW!"

The statue of Jesus Christ in Rio De Janerio was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot. The statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931 and is 30 metres high. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. It is located at the peak of the 700-metre Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca National Park. It has become one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world.