A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, killing six people, the state government has said.
The town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu was hit hardest late yesterday, with the state's civil defence agency reporting that over 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.
According to the Paraná Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring System, the tornado's winds reached speeds between 180km/h and 250km/h.
Institutional Relations Minister Gleisi Hoffmann said she would travel to the area with acting Health Minister Adriano Massuda and other federal officials to support relief efforts and reconstruction.
"We will continue to assist the people of Parana and provide all the help needed," President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X, expressing condolences to the victims' families.
