SAO PAULO, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a tornado that struck Brazil's southern state of Parana on Friday night rose to six, with around 750 people injured and at least one person missing, authorities said Saturday.
Several homes and buildings were destroyed in the town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu, which rescue teams described as resembling a war zone, local media reported, adding that about 80 percent of the town, home to some 14,000 people, was devastated.
Parana Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior declared a state of public calamity to speed up the release of emergency funds for relief and rebuilding efforts, authorities said in a news release.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed solidarity with the victims on X and announced the deployment of disaster response teams, reconstruction personnel and emergency health services to the affected areas.
The tornado was preliminarily classified as an F2, with winds between approximately 180 and 250 kph, according to Parana's environmental technology and monitoring system. ■
