PIC BY HERNANDO RIVERA/MERCURY PRESS (PICTURED: THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNING STRIKING THE ERUPTING LAVA AS IT SPEWS OUT OF THE VOLCAN DE COLIMA IN CENTRAL MEXICO. PIC DATE: 26.01.17) A graphic designer camped out in freezing cold conditions to capture a spectacular shot of an erupting volcano - only for a LIGHTNING BOLT to strike the lava spurt.
Hernando Rivera struck gold with the dazzling star-spangled snaps as he sat opposite the famous Volcán de Colima in central Mexico.
The photographer took up the perfect vantage point 12km from the centuries-old volcano, which is currently active and surrounded by an 8km exclusion zone.
His stunning series of pictures, taken last Thursday, show white-hot lava spouting from the crater 12,500ft above sea level, with the lightning bolt emerging from clouds of black smoke. SEE MERCURY COPY
From the EXIF.