Tourist Dies After Lightning Bolt Strikes Her On Head On Beach

This is the moment a tourist is struck on the head by a bolt of lightning as she walks along a windswept beach before collapsing instantly onto the sand.

The freak incident happened at Pinheira Beach in Palhoça, in the Greater Florianópolis coastal area of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, on Friday, 28 August.

Footage shows 39-year-old Edinara Gonçalves Areze walking along the shoreline with another person as waves crash in the distance.

A bolt of lightning suddenly shoots down from the sky and appears to strike Edinara directly on the head.

She immediately collapses onto the sand while the person beside her remains standing and looks towards her.

Firefighters confirmed the authenticity of the footage and said they were called to the beach at around 6.15pm.

Emergency crews found Edinara unconscious, without vital signs and with burns on her body, while a witness was carrying out CPR.

Paramedics took over the resuscitation attempt and continued treating her as she was rushed to the Praia do Sonho emergency care unit in Palhoça.

Three shocks were reportedly delivered using an automated external defibrillator inside the ambulance.

Doctors at the emergency unit managed to restore Edinara's vital signs before she was intubated at around 7.40pm.

She was subsequently transferred in a critical condition to the Regional Hospital of São José.

Santa Catarina's Health Department later confirmed that Edinara died at the hospital on the morning of Saturday, 29 August.

The department said: "The management of the Regional Hospital of São José reports that the patient who was struck by lightning died on Saturday morning.

"The patient was assisted by the emergency medical service on Friday and taken to the hospital in a serious condition, where she remained under the care of the medical team and received all necessary support."

Edinara was originally from Caxias do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul state's Serra Gaúcha region.

Her funeral was held at the Santos Anjos Mortuary Chapel on Sunday, 30 August, with her cremation scheduled for later that day at the São José Memorial Crematorium in Caxias do Sul.

Friends later shared tributes to Edinara on social media, with one saying: "She will be remembered for that smile that touched everyone."

Another wrote: "Rest in Jehovah's memory, my friend."

(Mike Leidig/Newsflash)