PHOTOS: Woman struck dead by lightning at the beach, in front of her family

A mother was killed in front of her family when she was struck by lightning on a Brazilian beach. 

Rosangela Biavati a 36-year-old married mother of one, died instantly when she was hit by the bolt of electricity during a trip to Guaruja, a popular seaside resort on the coast of Sao Paulo. 

The first photograph shows the victim heading towards the water with outstretched arms as she warns her 11-year-old son to get out of the sea because of the gathering storm overhead. The next image captures the electrical discharge streaking down. 

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‘The weather started to close in and we decided to leave. I was putting our bags into the car, and the kids were on the beach. ‘The next minute my wife was lying on the floor. I received a mild shock,’ said a distraught Leandro Lopes Santos. 

When I saw my sister she was already lying on the ground and people were trying to revive her by massaging her heart.’ According to the Biavati, another sister who was standing near to Roseangela when the lightning struck received a black eye. ‘We are in a state of shock. My brother-in-law is devastated by the sudden death of his wife. We can’t believe how it happened – it could have been any one of us,’ the victim’s brother said. 

‘We had taken our tables inside because we could see a storm was coming. Several rays had already flashed across the sky and streaked down,’ he recalled. ‘Suddenly we heard a loud bang and saw several people running. We knew that something terrible had happened. It’s a real tragedy for the family who have lost a wife and mother.’ 

‘There is a high incidence of lightning now because of an increase in heat and humidity. It’s more concentrated at this time during the summer than at other times in the year because the humidity is higher. ‘The seaside area is also a region bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, making it a perfect zone for this type of inclement weather,’ he said.