[ad_1]
A strong storm accompanied by powerful gusts of air caused lightning to fall on the left tower of the San Rafael Arcángel parish, one of the largest temples and of great architectural value in Cúcuta, North of Santander.
A burst of light and the loud sound of an explosion accompanied the electric discharge that affected the bell tower of the left tower and the structure that functioned as a lightning rod. In an amateur video the precise moment was recorded when the lightning struck the religious temple.
(Read also: Tutela against Daniel Quintero for controversial tweet about Pablo Escobar)
The incident occurred last Friday afternoon, while a strong storm fell in Cúcuta. The video was recorded by a resident near the San Rafael Arcángel parish.
After the electric shock, nearby neighborhoods were without power for several minutes.
(Further: They assassinated an indigenous Awá inside a health center in Nariño)
The Cúcuta Volunteer Fire Department went to the scene to assess the damage to the structure. However, due to the height of the church, it was necessary to use a ladder-type machine to assess the condition of the bell tower from the outside.
For several hours the place was cordoned off and mobility between the center of Cúcuta and the municipality of Los Patios blocked. The Fire Department confirmed that the structure has a crack from where the lightning rod is attached.
(You may be interested in: 11-year-old indigenous boy died amid clashes in Cauca)
Emergency in Cúcuta
There are several electrical discharges that have affected structures in the north-eastern capital of Santander.
On November 3, lightning struck a house in the Ospina Pérez neighborhood, in Cúcuta. The family assured that no one was injured but they lost all the electrical appliances.
Hours before the Mayor’s Office of Cúcuta decreed the public calamity due to the heavy rains that have occurred during the last week. It is estimated that more than 600 families have been affected by landslides and floods.
(We recommend you read: San Andrés begins to recover from the hard blow of Eta’s tail)
We must remember that the rainy season brings us respiratory diseases and with the emergence of covid-19 everything begins to complicate
“We have the active sudden floods of the Zulia and Pamplonita rivers, we must remember that the rainy season brings us respiratory diseases and with the emergence of covid-19 everything begins to complicate,” said Huber Plazas, Secretary of Risk Management.
According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam), between November 2020 and April 2021 heavy rainfall is expected and increases in rainfall are forecast in the Andean region, between 10 and 40 percent.
ANDRÉS CARVAJAL
For the time
CÚCUTA
