A tourist was killed in a freak lightning strike while walking on a beach in Brazil with her partner. Endinara Gonçalves Arezze, 39, was walking on Praia da Pinheira in Palhoça shortly after 6pm on Friday when she was struck and killed by lightning.
CCTV captures the incident
The tragic incident was captured on CCTV footage, which shows the pair walking along the sand before briefly stopping. Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning strikes one of them, sending the victim toppling to the ground. The woman's frantic partner then bent over to try and lift her up. The man was not injured by the lightning bolt.
The area had been hit by changing weather conditions, with rain, strong winds and intense lightning activity across the region. Endinara, who was visiting the area as a tourist, was originally from Caxias do Sul where she had worked for a paper and forest products company.
Emergency response and hospital care
Emergency services were called, and when firefighters arrived, they found her unconscious on the sand with no vital signs. Her desperate partner had already begun performing CPR, which emergency responders continued. She was then taken to the Praia do Sonho Emergency Care Unit. Three shocks were delivered with a defibrillator during the journey.
At the facility, medics were able to restore her vital signs, after which Endinara was intubated and transferred in critical condition to São José Regional Hospital. Sadly, despite being revived after suffering cardiac arrest, she died on Saturday morning. Her funeral was held in Caxias do Sul on Sunday.
