Tornado kills at least six, injures more than 400 in Brazil
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The twister on Nov 7 overturned cars and damaged homes in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, in Parana state.
PHOTO: AFP
- A tornado in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, Brazil, killed at least six and injured over 400, with winds up to 250kmh.
- Ninety percent of the town was damaged, with homes destroyed, prompting rescue efforts and shelters in nearby towns.
- Parana's governor mobilised security forces, while weather alerts remain for Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
AI generated
BRASILIA – A tornado killed at least six people and injured more than 400 as it destroyed most of a town in southern Brazil, the authorities said on Nov 8.
The twister on Nov 7 overturned cars and damaged homes in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people in Parana state, the local weather service reported.
The storm lasted only minutes but hit with hail and ferocious winds swirling at up to 250kmh.
“It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses and schools. What will become of us?“ said Ms Roselei Dalcandon as she stood by a pile of rubble that used to be her shop.
The tornado killed at least six people and injured 432, the Parana state government said. Two others are missing but this number could rise, it said.
Civil defence officials said 90 per cent of the town suffered some damage. Images on social media showed many homes with their roof ripped off or totally destroyed.
Rescue teams searched through piles of rubble looking for survivors or bodies. A shelter was set up in a nearby town.
“It is a war scene,” Mr Fernando Schunig, head of the Parana Civil Defence agency, told news outlet G1.
He said the likelihood of more fatalities is high because the twister hit the centre of the town.
“When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” Mr Schunig said.
The governor of Parana, Mr Ratinho Junior, said on social media platform X that “security forces are on alert, mobilised and monitoring the cities affected by the severe storms”.
An alert for dangerous storms was in effect for all of Parana, as well as the southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, according to weather authorities. AFP
