Tornado hits southern Brazil, killing six and injuring hundreds

A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Parana, killing six people, the state government said on Saturday.

The town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu was hit hardest late Friday, with the state’s civil defence agency reporting that more than half of the urban area suffered roof collapses, along with multiple structural failures.

Roads were blocked and power lines damaged.

Authorities said 437 people were treated for injuries and about 1,000 were displaced. The nearby city of Guarapuava was also affected.

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According to the Parana Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring System, the tornado’s winds reached speeds between 180kph (111mph) and 250kph (155mph).

Institutional relations minister Gleisi Hoffmann said she would travel to the area on Saturday with acting health minister Adriano Massuda and other federal officials to support relief efforts and reconstruction.

The federal government will help provide relief aid and “spare no efforts to assist the affected families,” Ms Hoffmann said on X.

“We will continue to assist the people of Parana and provide all the help needed,” president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote on X, expressing condolences to the victims’ families.

Pictures shared by Parana’s Civil Defense showed devastated houses, cars and roads in the municipality of Rio Bonito do Iguacu in the aftermath of Friday’s F2-rated tornado, with an estimated 50 per cent of the region’s houses affected by roof collapses.

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An F2 tornado is rated as “significant” and packs wind speeds of between 113mph and 157mph (181kph and 250kph), according to the US National Weather Service.

Severe weather events have become more common in southern Brazil, a significant grain and meat producer. Parts of Parana have faced heavy rains in November, leading authorities to declare state of emergency across 14 cities.

Parana governor Ratinho Junior travelled to the region to monitor search and rescue operations, according to the Civil Defense. Authorities are working to restore water and electricity. – Reuters/Bloomberg