Brazilian Climber Survives Lightning Strike on Ecuador Volcano

Overview

• The climber was struck at the summit of El Corazón on October 13 while with a group of about 20 people and survived the direct hit.
• Medical teams report second‑degree burns on his chest and legs, third‑degree burns on his feet, perforated eardrums in both ears, and a visible mark on his head.
• Companions used radio to call for help, carried him down part of the route, used a horse for a stretch, and met an ambulance at the lower aid point.
• He received initial multidisciplinary care in Ecuador and was repatriated to Hospital Universitário Evangélico Mackenzie in Curitiba for ongoing burn and trauma treatment.
• Doctors say he is stable, lucid and talking with an expected hospital stay of three to four weeks, and the case highlights the rapid danger of high‑altitude electrical storms.