Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 05:01 UTC

Twisters kill five and destroy an estimated 5.000 houses in Paraguay

A fierce storm packing 140-kilometer an hour winds tore across the heart of South America on Wednesday, killing five people in Paraguay and wreaking havoc in Argentina and Uruguay.

Some of the houses left in ruins by the wind and rainfall

The Roque Alonso suburb of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion was devastated by the storm and widespread looting was reported in its aftermath.

Four police cadets died and 15 were injured when the roof of their dormitory collapsed, and a 16-year-old boy died at a shopping center when a water tank collapsed on him outside a pharmacy.

“Roque Alonso has to be built all over again,” police commander Heriberto Marmol said. Dozens of injured people flooded Asuncion hospitals and traffic was gridlocked in parts of the city.

Nationwide, at least 5,000 homes were destroyed and more than 80 people injured in storm-related incidents, Aldo Saldivar of the national emergency response center said.

The storm also blew the roof off homes and barns in Neembucu, south of the capital and knocked out power in the town of Encarnacion for many hours.

Many parts of the country have been left without electricity as the twisters collapsed power lines. Likewise drinking water supply has been interrupted.

Interior Minister Carmelo Caballero confirmed the data on deaths, injured and destroyed houses and announced that a team of 120 police personnel with trucks and buses are transporting the families left homeless to refuges and at schools, gymnasiums and military barracks.
 

Published in: Economy, Environment, Paraguay.

5 comments Feed

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1 briton (#) Sep 20th, 2012 - 01:24 pm Report abuse
and where is this united south America,

they should send help as soon as poss, to help a fellow brother country in trouble..
2 BAMF Paraguay (#) Sep 20th, 2012 - 03:23 pm Report abuse
No need to send help to Paraguay. Electricity was back up and running last night, families and churches are helping the ones that lost their homes, the injured are being taken care of....all without the help of the government. I was actually surprised how quick things got back to normal. Maybe because people don't depend on the government to do everything, then people react and get things done on their own.
3 briton (#) Sep 20th, 2012 - 07:49 pm Report abuse
well done.
4 British_Kirchnerist (#) Sep 20th, 2012 - 10:54 pm Report abuse
#2 “the people” are certainly not with your particular government...
5 BAMF Paraguay (#) Sep 21st, 2012 - 02:22 pm Report abuse
BK - “the people” as you call them, realize that governments, especially in Paraguay, are composed of politicians intent on two things only, stealing money and having power over people. After our last dictatorship, Paraguayans don't trust the government and don't ask the government for help. When Lugo was impeached, the piss poor support he got from his “people” shows how socialism/communism is hated in here and will not be accepted. So when shit hits the fan like these tornados, families and churches and friends are the ones that help out and not the government.

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