Tornado kills at least six, leaves trail of destruction in Brazil
Local authorities announced on Saturday that a powerful tornado had ripped through southern Brazil, killing at least six people and injuring around 750.
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 12:21 | 09 November 2025
A powerful tornado tore through southern Brazil, killing at least six people and injuring around 750, local authorities said on Saturday.
More than 1,000 residents lost their homes in the storm, which struck the state of Paraná with winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, according to the civil defence agency cited by news portal G1.
"Our teams said they found a scene like a war zone," G1 quoted Paraná's deputy fire chief Jonas Emmanuel Benghi Pinto as saying.
The small town of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, home to roughly 14,000 people, was the hardest hit on Friday afternoon. Governor Ratinho Júnior said about 90% of the town's buildings were destroyed, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency.
Tens of thousands of households across Paraná were left temporarily without electricity.
Drone footage showed entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. "The tornado lasted 30 or 40 seconds and destroyed everything," one resident told TV Globo. "It looked like an atomic bomb had gone off."
Emergency services set up a field hospital to treat the injured, while rescue teams continued searching for people believed to be trapped under debris. Helicopters and additional personnel from neighbouring regions were deployed to assist, firefighters said.
"I want to express my deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones," President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote on X, promising swift aid.
The governor declared three days of mourning.
Tornadoes of such strength are rare in Brazil but occasionally occur in the country's southern regions.
More than 1,000 residents lost their homes in the storm, which struck the state of Paraná with winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, according to the civil defence agency cited by news portal G1.
"Our teams said they found a scene like a war zone," G1 quoted Paraná's deputy fire chief Jonas Emmanuel Benghi Pinto as saying.
The small town of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, home to roughly 14,000 people, was the hardest hit on Friday afternoon. Governor Ratinho Júnior said about 90% of the town's buildings were destroyed, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency.
Tens of thousands of households across Paraná were left temporarily without electricity.
Drone footage showed entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. "The tornado lasted 30 or 40 seconds and destroyed everything," one resident told TV Globo. "It looked like an atomic bomb had gone off."
Emergency services set up a field hospital to treat the injured, while rescue teams continued searching for people believed to be trapped under debris. Helicopters and additional personnel from neighbouring regions were deployed to assist, firefighters said.
"I want to express my deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones," President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote on X, promising swift aid.
The governor declared three days of mourning.
Tornadoes of such strength are rare in Brazil but occasionally occur in the country's southern regions.
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