At least five people died and around 130 were injured by a tornado that devastated part of a municipality in southern Brazil, in the state of Paraná, local authorities reported.
“The Civil Defense of Paraná regrets to inform that five deaths have already been confirmed as a result of the tornado” that hit the municipality of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, the agency said on Friday night in a statement.
According to images released by the Brazilian press, the wind overturned several cars and destroyed entire houses in the municipality, around 300 kilometers from the famous Iguaçu Falls.
“Initial information also indicates that there are 30 serious and moderate injuries, and around 100 minor injuries”, added the Civil Defense of Paraná.
The damage was concentrated in the municipality of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, which has 14 thousand inhabitants, according to the Paraná Environmental Technology and Monitoring System.
The organization estimated that the winds reached speeds between 180 and 250 kilometers per hour, causing “the fall of trees and even brick houses”.
The governor of Paraná, Ratinho Júnior, announced on the social network X that “security forces are on alert, mobilized and monitoring the cities affected by the violent storms.”
The Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology maintains a “storm danger” warning throughout Paraná, as well as in the neighboring states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, which border Argentina and Uruguay.