A 39-year-old tourist died after being struck by lightning while walking along a beach in Brazil with her partner, who escaped unharmed.
Endinara Gonçalves Arezze was on Praia da Pinheira in Palhoça, just after 6pm on Friday (August 28), when the incident occurred. The area had been affected by rapidly shifting weather, including rain, powerful winds and severe lightning activity across Greater Florianópolis.
Footage shows the moment of the strike
CCTV footage shows the couple walking on the sand before briefly pausing. A bolt of lightning then hits one of them, causing the victim to fall to the ground. The other person can be seen bending over and attempting to lift her up.
Endinara, originally from Caxias do Sul, had been employed by a paper and forest products firm there. When firefighters arrived, they found her unconscious on the sand with no signs of life. Her partner had already started CPR, which emergency responders then took over.
Medical response and death
Endinara had marks consistent with burns at the points where the electrical discharge entered and exited her body. She was taken to the Praia do Sonho Emergency Care Unit, with three defibrillator shocks administered during the journey.
At the facility, staff restored her vital signs. She was then placed on a ventilator and moved in a critical state to São José Regional Hospital. Despite being resuscitated after cardiac arrest, she died on Saturday morning (August 29). Her funeral took place in Caxias do Sul on Sunday (August 30).
