15 June 2010 Last updated at 12:24 ET

Giant Jesus statue razed by lightning in Ohio

The giant statue was seen burning to the ground after the lightning strike

A 62ft (19m) tall statue of Jesus outside a church in the US state of Ohio has burned down after being struck by lightning.

The frame is all that remains of the wood, polystyrene and glass fibre statue, which was hit on Monday night.

It had stood at the non-denominational Solid Rock Church in Monroe since 2004, and had been dubbed the Touchdown Jesus and the Quicksand Jesus.

Firefighters said no-one was injured in the blaze, near a major highway.

The monument - which had reportedly cost $250,000 (£170,000) - showed just the upper body of Jesus, with arms raised.

The fire spread to a nearby amphitheatre which suffered minor damage, fire chief Mark Neu said.