Tornado in Southern Brazil Leaves 6 Dead, More Than 700 Injured

A powerful tornado swept through southern Brazil, killing six people and injuring more than 700. The storm caused widespread destruction, toppling buildings, damaging homes, and cutting power across several communities. Emergency crews are working to clear debris, restore services, and assist displaced residents. Officials say the number of injured may rise as rescue teams reach harder-hit areas and assess the full scope of the damage.

A tornado that tore through southern Brazil Friday evening killed at least six people and injured around 750 others, destroying most of the town of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu in Paraná state, authorities said Saturday. The storm, which lasted only minutes, struck with hail and winds reaching up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), flipping cars, shredding roofs, and leveling buildings across the town of 14,000.

Aerial photos showed widespread devastation, with homes reduced to rubble and debris scattered across entire neighborhoods. “It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses, schools. What will become of us?” said shopowner Roselei Dalcandon, standing beside the wreckage of her business.

The Paraná state government confirmed at least six deaths and reported one person missing. Civil Defense officials said roughly 90 percent of the town suffered damage. Images circulating on social media showed homes with roofs ripped away or completely demolished.

Rescue teams continued combing through piles of debris for survivors and victims, while emergency officials established a shelter in a nearby town to house displaced residents. “It is a war scene,” said Fernando Schunig, head of the Paraná Civil Defense agency, in an interview with news outlet G1. He warned that the death toll could rise because the tornado struck the town’s center. “When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” he said.

The violent weather system also brought strong winds, storms and hail to other cities in Paraná and neighboring states. Southern Brazil has faced a series of extreme weather events, including catastrophic flooding last year in Rio Grande do Sul that left more than 200 people dead and displaced two million one of the worst natural disasters in the country’s recent history. Experts have said global warming contributed to the scale of those floods.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Saturday that a team of ministers and disaster relief specialists was being deployed to the tornado-hit town. Weather authorities issued storm alerts across Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul as the severe weather pattern continued to sweep the region.

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Source: NDTV

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