A woman inadvertently captured the final moments of a tour guide before he was tragically killed by a terrifying lightning strike.
Leilson de Souza, 36, had been leading a group of hikers through a train at Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro when the lightning strike occurred.
The experienced tour guide had been overseeing tour groups for 10 years before the tragedy unfolded in November 2023, The Independent reported.
His final moments and the terrifying lightning strike itself were caught on camera by a member of his tour group - Karlla Araújo, then-26, who happened to be recording a selfie video at the time.
Araújo had been recording the group standing at the top of a large rock during their hike before de Souza walked over to another rock moments before he was fatally struck.
Local reports say the man wearing a green backpack and black cap in the video is De Souza.
Although her video did not capture him being hit by the lightning, she could be seen smiling and raising her hand in the air before it struck, and the film captures her face falling and her scream as a large sound is heard and she realizes what has happened.
The clip cuts out as she looks worried while adjusting the strap on her helmet seconds later.
Araújo told Brazilian online news outlet G1 that de Souza had warned it would rain in the afternoon but claimed he believed it would be okay for them to continue the hike as the weather could change from one hour to the next.
He led the group on the two-hour hike to the peak as it began to rain mid-way through their ascent.
Araújo added: "He asked if we wanted to continue and everyone decided, yes. The guide said there was a chance to get out to the end and have a view in the sun."
Tragically, as they reached their destination, de Souza was struck by lightning and declared dead by the time paramedics arrived via an air ambulance which was dispatched to the scene.
The rest of the group were escorted back down by one of de Souza's brothers who is also training to become a tour guide, but the hikers were worried in case of any more lightning strikes.
Araújo added: "We were in total despair. I wanted to go down but at the same time I was afraid because more lightning could strike."
Lightning causes around 20 deaths per year in the US. Credit: Boris Jordan Photography/Getty
Leonado Barros, one of de Souza's siblings, told Brazilian publication Globo that the family are struggling to accept that the late tour guide had died in such a way.
He explained: "At the time, we didn't believe it. But, with the way it happened, we would never have imagined it. We imagine dying anyway, passing away anyway, but by lightning, it's complicated.
"He was an excellent person, he did everything for everyone, he was a guy who always wanted to take special people, elderly people, everything out on the trail. His business was mountaineering, it was nature."
The 36-year-old had loved hiking and one of his greatest achievements was climbing Dedo dec Deus, a 5,551-foot mountain in Serra dos Órgãos National Park in Rio de Janeiro, which he completes in June, and he was also studying environmental management in college.
Thankfully, lightning deaths are extremely rare, with the chance of being struck by lightning being less than one in a million, and 90 percent of those that are do survive, albeit with injuries.
Around 20 people per year are killed by lightning strikes according to the National Weather Service, and a further 243 people are struck but survive each year.
People are advised to take cover in a safe location in the event of an electrical storm and wide open areas are among the most dangerous places to be if there is a threat of lightning.
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