Tornado Rips Through Southern Brazil, Killing at Least 5

A powerful tornado swept through southern Brazil late Friday, ripping roofs off buildings and killing at least five people and injuring dozens of others, the authorities said.

Brazilian authorities said several towns in the state of Paraná were struck by the storm. While five people were confirmed dead, emergency crews worked late into the night to search for other potential victims, they said.

The state’s meteorological service said the region had been struck by a tornado with winds topping 150 miles per hour. It came after days of rough weather in Paraná, including heavy rain and hail.

In one of the worst-hit towns, Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, residents posted videos on social media showing crushed rooftops, toppled lamp posts and overturned cars.

Speaking to a local television station, state officials working on rescue efforts estimated that about 80 percent of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, which has a population of about 14,000, had been destroyed.

“We already knew that we would face a difficult moment,” Ratinho Júnior, the governor of the state of Paraná, said Friday on social media. “But we never imagined,” he added, that they would be hit by a “tornado that could cause all this devastation.”