A 100-year-old sequoia in Nouvelle-Aquitaine was incinerated in a lightning strike on Saturday, in this impressive video captured by a bystander.

The incident took place in Deux-Sèvres, a village situated in the municipality of Augé, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, as thunderstorms raged across France on Saturday.

Benjamin Estrade was able to capture the dramatic lightning strike on camera in a clip which has since made the rounds on social media.

The ancient tree appears to explode as a result of the lightning's impact.

The video was published on the Meteo Express website and has since gone viral on social media networks.

The destruction of the tree also impacted a nearby bar/restaurant, which suffered partial material damage, according to local mayor Laurent Baloge, who told news outlet Ouest-France that the venue had been forced to close because the kitchen gas supply was impeded by debris.

The municipality is situated in a valley, Baloge continued. "When there is heavy rainfall, we often get flooding in the low-lying areas. But for a tree of this size to be struck down is truly unusual."

To make matters worse, the 30-metre tree fell on the van belonging to the couple owning the restaurant. A fundraiser was launched to help the business owners weather this particular storm.

RTL

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