At least six people have been killed and 750 others injured in Brazil after a tornado ripped through the southern state of Parana, with powerful winds of up to 250km/hour (155 mph).
Local authorities said on Saturday that the twister, which struck late on Friday, lasted less than a minute, but destroyed about 90 percent of the town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu.
The town is home to 14,000 people.
Aerial photographs show scores of buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu without roofs, while parts of the town appear completely flattened. Nearby, green farmland and trees outside of the tornado’s path appear to be largely untouched.
The destructive weather pattern hit Brazil as it prepared to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem on Monday.
Experts say climate change can contribute to frequent and more intense tornadoes as warmer temperatures and increasing moisture in the air can increase atmospheric instability and wind shear – the factors that give rise to such twisters.
‘War zone’
Fernando Schunig, head of the Parana Civil Defence agency, described the town as a “war zone” in an interview with local news outlet G1.
“When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” he said.
Gilberto Brecailo, a resident of Rio Bonito do Iguacu, said his mechanic shop was one of the buildings destroyed by the tornado.
Source: AJ
