International

Five dead, 130 injured as powerful tornado hits Paraná, Brazil

At least five fatalities and about 130 injuries were reported after a powerful Brazilian tornado ripped through a small town in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, local authorities confirmed.

The violent storms have left a trail of destruction, overturning multiple vehicles and leveling entire homes in the area, which lies approximately 300 kilometers from the famous Iguaçu Falls. Media images confirmed widespread Rio Bonito do Iguaçu damage, showing uprooted trees and collapsed houses, even those built with concrete structures.

Regarding the casualties, authorities specified: "Initial reports indicate that there are 30 injured in serious and moderate condition and approximately 100 lightly injured."

The intense damage was centered on Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, a community of 14,000 residents. The Paraná Environmental Technology and Monitoring System noted that maximum wind speeds reportedly reached between 180 and 250 kilometers per hour, AFP writes.

In response to the crisis, Paraná state Governor Ratinho Junior announced that security forces have been mobilized and are on high alert, actively monitoring the localities affected by the violent storms in South Brazil.

Furthermore, the National Institute of Meteorology is maintaining a "storm danger" alert across the entire Paraná state, as well as in the southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, which share borders with Argentina and Uruguay.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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