Lightning Strike Damages Rio's Jesus Statue

The iconic statue of Jesus overlooking Rio de Janeiro has lost a thumb tip as a result of a lightning strike.

Christ the Redeemer, one of the city's most recognisable landmarks, was damaged in a huge storm on Thursday night.

Standing at 38 metres the statue - which sits atop Mount Corcovado - was named in a 2007 global poll as one of seven new wonders of the world.

Site caretaker Father Osmar Raposo said the giant concrete figure will undergo repair next month.

O Globo broadcast helicopter images of the statue showing part of Christ's right thumb missing.

Brazil's national space institute INPE counted more than 40,000 lighting flashes during the three-hour storm which felled dozens of trees and flooded streets.

Winds gusting at 52mph forced one of Rio's airports to close and brought a halt to boat trips across the city's Guanabara Bay.

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