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Famous Brazilian statue damaged by lightning strike

Lightning strikes

A lightning strike has damaged a thumb of Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer statue, during a storm on Thursday night.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in a lightning storm

The thumb on the right hand of the 38 metre statue has been chipped by lightning. Christ the Redeemer on top of Rio's Mount Corcovado is visited by nearly two million people ever year.

Lightning strikes over Rio de Janeiro

Thursday's storm had one of the highest numbers of lightning strikes recorded in Brazil since the country began monitoring storms in 1999.

Fishermen on Copacabana Beach during a lightning strike

Fishermen sort their catch on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro as lightning flashes on Thursday evening.

Copacabana Beach during a thunderstorm.

Copacabana Beach during the powerful early evening thunderstorm. Heavy rains flooded streets and caused power cuts in some neighbourhoods.