Hand of 'Jesus Christ' needs repairing after being struck by lightning
BRAZIL'S iconic Jesus Christ statue needs repair work to the middle finger of the right after being struck by lightning.
The Christ the Redeemer statue which overlooks Rio de Janeiro was hit by lightning bolts during a storm on Thursday evening.
A piece of soap stone, which is used on the statue, was dislocated and came crashing to the ground.
No one was injured as there were no tourists around during the storm, according to administrators of Corcovado, the mountain upon which the statue sits.
It is not unusual for the statue, which stands 98 feet tall (30 metres), to be struck by lightning during thunderstorms.
The statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931, and the 'wing span' of the figure is 92 feet wide (28 metres).