Lightning Strike Claimed Life of 36-Year-Old Brazilian Tour Guide While Leading a Group of Hikers

A Brazilian tour guide met with a harrowing fate while conducting a tour with a group of hikers. Leilson de Souza was an avid tour conductor and had an immense passion for his work. The man was 36 years old and had been committed to his profession for ten long years. Over the course of these years, de Souza had experienced a lot of adverse weather conditions, which he had dealt with bravely. Unfortunately, this time, the wrath of Mother Nature took his life and abruptly ended his journey. 

In an irony of fate, de Souza pointed out the fact to his group that the weather was not alright and it might rain. Even then, he made a slight miscalculation. The tour guide asked the hikers to continue hiking and this was a decision that proved to be fatal for him. Let’s dive deeper and explore the sad incident below. 

Weather miscalculation leads to fatal consequences 

In the most unfortunate manner, the death of Leilson de Souza was caught live on camera. A 26-year-old member of the group, Karlla Arajuo was recording their ascent. In the video, we can see that the entire team was perched on a rock as de Souza paced on the other side. As the recording continued, tragedy struck as a loud thunder was heard followed by shrieks of a woman in the background. 

The entire team standing at the Tijuca National Park near Rio De Janeiro was stunned. They could not believe what they saw. As the lifeless body of de Souza lay on the ground, Arajuo gave further details about the incident. 

Hikers freaked out by the untimely demise of de Souza

Arajuo went on to say that although de Souza stated that it might rain, he advised them to carry on with their ascent. As soon as the lightning hit de Souza, the medical team was informed. An air ambulance was deployed to take immediate care of the victim. Unfortunately, they could do nothing as de Souza was dead the moment the lightning struck. 

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Stranded in the middle of nowhere, the team of hikers were guided to safety by a brother of de Souza. He is also taking a course for becoming a tour guide. This incident shocked the hikers as well as they feared getting struck by lightning themselves. According to Arajuo, “We were in total despair. I wanted to go down but at the same time I was afraid, because more lightning could strike.” 

We extend our sincere condolences to de Souza’s family and wish that his soul Rest In Peace. 

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