In an extraordinary incident, a 100-foot imposing statue of Jesus Christ in Brazil’s city of Rio de Janeiro was struck by a bolt of lightning that lit up the sculpture into an awesome sight.

The stunning moment was captured on camera by Fernando Braga who shared the pictures on 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 his post.

The Christ the Redeemer statue is the largest 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.

According to the BBC, earlier in 2014, a bolt of lightning had struck the statue,  damaging the thumb of the iconic figure, after which it underwent restoration work.