BRASILIA — A tornado struck the town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu in southern Brazil on Friday evening, resulting in at least six fatalities and injuring approximately 750 people, according to state officials. The tornado, which reached wind speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour), caused extensive destruction in the town, home to about 14,000 residents.

The storm lasted only a few minutes but wreaked havoc, flipping cars and demolishing buildings. Aerial images reveal a landscape of devastation, with debris scattered throughout the area. "It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses, schools. What will become of us?" said Roselei Dalcandon, who stood beside the ruins of her shop.

The Parana state government confirmed that 90 percent of the town suffered damage. Rescue teams are currently searching through the rubble for survivors and any additional victims. One person is reported missing. Civil Defense officials described the scene as resembling a war zone. "When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal," said Fernando Schunig, head of the Parana Civil Defense agency.

In addition to Rio Bonito do Iguacu, other cities in Parana and neighboring states experienced strong winds and storms as part of a severe weather pattern affecting the region. Last year, southern Brazil faced catastrophic flooding that resulted in over 200 deaths and displaced two million people in Rio Grande do Sul, with experts attributing some of the disaster to global warming.

In response to the tornado, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that a team of ministers and disaster relief experts would be dispatched to the affected area. Weather authorities have issued alerts for dangerous storms across Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, indicating that the threat of severe weather persists in the region.