An extraordinary event occurred in the municipality of Guaíba, Brazil: a powerful wind toppled a 24-meter replica of the American "Statue of Liberty" near a store of the "Havan" chain. The incident took place on Monday, and the moment of the structure's fall was recorded on video.
Fortunately, no pedestrians were injured as the shopping center's parking lot was nearly empty at the time of the fall. According to reports, the wind in the region reached speeds of over 90 km/h, while in the neighboring city of Canoas, it reached a record speed of 96.3 km/h.
Representatives from the "Havan" company stated that the area was immediately cordoned off for safety, and specialists will soon begin dismantling the damaged statue. They also confirmed that the statue had all the necessary technical documentation and had been in place since the store's opening in 2020.
This incident underscores the danger of strong wind gusts, about which local residents were warned in advance. Recent similar cases in Ukraine, in particular, have been associated with damages in zoos due to storms caused by similar weather conditions.
