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Agence France-Presse

A tornado killed at least six people and injured more than 700 as it destroyed most of a town in southern Brazil, authorities said on Saturday.
The twister on Friday evening flipped cars like toys and wrecked buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people in Parana state, the local weather service reported.
The storm lasted only minutes but hit with hail and ferocious winds swirling at up to 250km/h (155 miles).
“It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses, schools. What will become of us?” said Roselei Dalcandon as she stood by a pile of rubble that used to be her shop.
The tornado killed at least six people and injured around 750, the Parana state government said. One person is reported missing.

Five of the killed were adults and the sixth was a 14-year-old girl.
Civil defence officials said 90 per cent of the town suffered some damage.
Images on social media showed many homes with their roof ripped off or totally destroyed.
Rescue teams searched through piles of rubble looking for survivors or bodies. A shelter was set up in a nearby town.
“It is a war scene,” Fernando Schunig, head of the Parana Civil Defence agency, told the news outlet G1.
He said the likelihood of more fatalities was high because the twister hit the centre of the town.
“When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” Schunig said.

On social media, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed solidarity with the victims.
“We will continue to assist the people of Parana and provide all the help needed,” he said.
The governor of Parana, Ratinho Junior, said in a social media post that “security forces are on alert, mobilised and monitoring the cities affected by the severe storms”.
Other cities in Parana and neighboring states were also hit by strong winds, storms and hail from a violent weather pattern sweeping through the region.
Last year southern Brazil suffered severe flooding that left more than 200 people dead and 2 million displaced in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
It was one of the worst natural disasters in the recent history of Brazil and experts say global warming played a role in the floods.
An alert for dangerous storms was in effect for all of Parana as well as the southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, according to weather authorities.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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Damaged vehicles and buildings are seen in Rio Bonito do Iguacu in Brazil on Friday. Photo:Parana State Government via AFP

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World

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The twister flipped cars and wrecked buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people


The twister flipped cars and wrecked buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people.


Extreme weather

Brazil

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Americas and the Caribbean

Powerful Brazil tornado kills 6, injures over 700: ‘it destroyed everything’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The twister flipped cars and wrecked buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people

The twister flipped cars and wrecked buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people