Six dead, over 400 injured as powerful tornado devastates southern Brazil town

A powerful tornado tore through southern Brazil on Friday evening, killing at least six people and injuring more than 400 others as it devastated much of the town of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu in Paraná state, officials said on Saturday.

The storm, which lasted only a few minutes, struck with winds reaching up to 250 km per hour (155 mph) and was accompanied by heavy hail, according to the local weather service. The tornado flipped vehicles, flattened buildings, and left large sections of the town of 14,000 in ruins.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of total destruction as emergency crews worked through the night to rescue trapped residents and clear debris. “It destroyed everything — the town, houses, schools. What will become of us?” said local shop owner Roselei Dalcandon, standing beside the wreckage of her business.

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Authorities said emergency shelters have been set up for displaced families, while hospitals in nearby cities are treating hundreds of injured residents. Power outages and blocked roads have hampered relief operations as rescue teams continue to search for survivors amid the rubble.

The tornado killed at least six people and injured 432, the Parana state government said. Two people are missing but this number could rise, officials said.

Civil Defence officials said 90 percent of the town suffered some damage.

Images on social media showed many homes with their roof ripped off or totally destroyed.

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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 Defense agency, told the news outlet G1.

He said the likelihood of more fatalities is high because the twister hit the center of the town. “When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” Schunig said.

The governor of Parana, Ratinho Junior, said on X that “security forces are on alert, mobilized and monitoring the cities affected by the severe storms."

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.

With inputs from agencies