This is the spectacular moment a lightning strike left a tree burning from the inside in terrifying fashion.

Sumeet Verma witnessed the thunderbolt hitting one of the trees in his field in Bago Region, Myanmar.

Footage shows flames flickering from deep within the tree trunk, with thin wisps of smoke rising into the air as rain falls steadily around it on May 11.

Meanwhile, a herd of cattle can be seen retreating cautiously from the smouldering tree, guided by a farmer.

Experts said that when lightning strikes a tree, the bolt can travel through its moisture-rich core.

The extreme heat, reaching more than 30,000 degrees Celsius, rapidly boils the sap and water inside, producing steam and pressure that ignite the wood from within.

This creates the rare spectacle of a tree burning internally while its rain-soaked outer bark appears untouched.