This is the extraordinary moment that a lightning bolt struck the center of a volcano just as it was erupting, shooting luminous hot lava from the surface.

55-year-old German photographer Martin Reitze captured these rare images of the volcanic ash escaping from the Ebeko volcano in Russia

Reitze, who is from Munich, was standing about a kilometer away from the northern crater of the volcano when it erupted.

The volcano expert said: "The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual. It was strong enough to illuminate the whole sky with its bluish lighting."

Reitze had spent about seven hours patiently waiting for an eruption to happen—and he felt "extremely lucky" that he managed to get the perfect shot.

"In a whole event when you are an avid volcano observer, it can take a decade to witness such a lightning event," said Reitze.

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