A tornado with 250 km/h winds killed six, injured 750 and destroyed 90% of Rio Bonito do Iguacu, Brazil, creating a “war scene” of devastation
RIO BONITO DO IGUACU: A violent tornado has killed at least six people and injured approximately 750 in this southern Brazilian town.
The twister struck Friday evening with ferocious winds reaching 250 km per hour and destructive hail.
It flipped cars and wrecked buildings throughout Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a community of 14,000 people in Parana state.
Parana state authorities confirmed the death toll and injuries, with one person still reported missing.
Civil Defense officials stated that 90% of the town suffered damage from the brief but devastating storm.
Aerial photographs reveal widespread destruction with debris covering the landscape and many structures completely obliterated.
“It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses, schools. What will become of us?” said resident Roselei Dalcandon beside the rubble of her former shop.
Rescue teams are searching through piles of wreckage for survivors or additional victims.
Fernando Schunig, head of Parana Civil Defense, described the scene as “a war scene” to news outlet G1.
He warned that the likelihood of more fatalities remains high because the tornado struck the town center.
“When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” Schunig stated.
A shelter has been established in a nearby town for displaced residents.
The tornado was part of a violent weather pattern affecting Parana and neighboring states with strong winds, storms and hail.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that a team of ministers and disaster relief experts is en route to the devastated area.
Weather authorities have issued storm alerts for all of Parana plus Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states.
This disaster follows severe flooding last year in southern Brazil that killed over 200 people and displaced two million.
Experts have linked such extreme weather events to global warming patterns affecting the region. – AFP
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