LIGHTNING DAMAGE BRAZIL 'CHRIST THE REDEEMER' STATUE

 

Lightning is being blamed for damaging the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

Officials told the Associated Press that the right thumb of the statue was chipped during an apparent lightning strike Thursday night.

Data obtained by AccuWeather.com from the city's Santos Dumont Airport verifies that thunderstorms were in the area from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time Thursday (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST).

Winds gusted to nearly 90 kph (55 mph) as the thunderstorms arrived.

Lightning bolts strike through the sky near Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, late Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Renata Brito)

The airport does not report weather observations between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time.

"A stalled frontal boundary near Rio de Janeiro helped trigger some thunderstorms over the past couple of days," stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Rob Miller.

Source: Agencies