A teenage girl has died of electrocution when her home was struck by lightning while she was using her mobile phone as it was being charged.
Radja Ferreira de Oliveira’s phone was plugged into the main socket at her house in Santarem, Brazil, when it was hit by lightning in the early hours of Sunday, August 29.
The 18-year-old, who was using her mobile phone at the time lightning struck, received a severe electric shock and passed out.
Emergency services were called, but by the time the paramedics arrived at the scene, her family had already given her first aid and rushed her to the hospital.
Unfortunately, Radja was pronounced dead on arrival.
She was the third person to be electrocuted in the Brazilian state of Para last week.
Semeao Tavares was on a phone call in Curua when he was struck by lightning during a different storm on August 25. Medics reached him while he was still alive, but he died from his injuries.
Councillor Raimundo Brito, of the Progressistas political party, was also electrocuted during the same storm while he was plucking a duck in his home in Macura. Brito managed to call for help and was taken to the local health centre, where he was treated for his injuries.
Following Radja’s death, experts have again warned of risks of using a mobile phone while it is still charging.
