VIRAL VIDEO: Deadly lightning strikes British Airways plane at Sao Paulo airport

Viral video: A British Airways plane grounded at Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil was struck by deadly lightning as heavy rains pummeled Sao Paulo city. The video of the exact moment when the lightning hit the plane, has gone viral over social media.

Netizens were terrified by the deadly, yet amazing moment. “Oh dang!” exclaimed one user. Another user said it was a ‘very close call’ and prayed that everyone in Brazil was safe.

“Could have damaged the computers on board the airplane. Sensitive electronics get damaged from sudden strong electric power,” stated another user.

Following an inspection, the British Airways plane took off after a six hour delay.

Sao Paulo storm

Sao Paulo witnessed heavy rains on Friday, January 24, causing transport chaos and subway overcrowding, reported BBC. Electricity was also cut to thousands of homes and locals were forced to shelter in crowded metro stations.

Cars were washed away leading to one man using a jet ski to travel down a flooded street. Merely a month's rainfall for just a few hours led to the chaos, reported BBC.

Strong winds and severe flooding

The storm was also accompanied by strong winds with speeds of up to 60km per hour. The Civil Defense department in Brazil further issued a warning for strong winds and flooding risks, and cautioned all residents of affected areas. “The objective is for the population to protect themselves during this storm, which is estimated to last between 30 minutes and 1 hour,” the Civil Defense stated, mentioned a report by The Watchers.

Several areas of Sao Paulo, including Beco do Batman and the Pompéia region in the West Zone, as well as neighborhoods such as Santana and Tucuruvi in the North Zone, experienced severe flooding.

The northern part of the Brazilian city was the most affected by the floods. Videos circulating on social media showed several avenues in the region underwater, with cars floating.