Severe storms and hail have killed at least two people and damaged more than 1,600 homes in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, the state Civil Defense department reported Saturday.
The fatalities included an 8-year-old child who was crushed by a falling tree in Porto Alegre, located in the eastern part of the state, and a 72-year-old man whose vehicle was swept away by raging floodwaters in Arroio Grande in the south.
The severe weather system swept through 21 municipalities between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Tres Palmeiras in the north was identified as the hardest-hit municipality, with hail damaging approximately 1,000 homes. In Quarai, situated near Brazil's western border with Uruguay, local authorities declared a state of emergency after hail damaged 349 houses.
In the northeastern Serra Gaucha region, hail damaged 197 homes in Canela, while Civil Defense issued a red alert to residents and tourists in both Canela and Gramado.
Rio Grande do Sul remains on high alert for further extreme weather events linked to El Nino. The region is still recovering from one of Brazil's worst climate disasters in 2024, when catastrophic floods affected nearly 90 percent of the state's territory and claimed more than 180 lives.