SAO PAULO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were reported missing after a powerful storm hit southern Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state on Monday, according to the Civil Defense agency.
The storm knocked out power to more than 700,000 residents, with gale-force winds exceeding 115 km per hour and rainfall of up to 15 cm in some areas.
A 43-year-old woman and her two children, who were traveling by car in Caxias do Sul, were reported missing, along with a man who was unclogging a pipe outside his home to prevent flooding, the Fire Department said.
According to authorities, the storm also toppled an unoccupied building in Pelotas, seriously injured one person who fell from the roof, and damaged hundreds of homes.
In Nova Santa Rita, the winds ripped the roofs off about 400 buildings and destroyed another three, toppled the metal structures of a logistics center and overturned three trucks.
At least 20 cities recorded sustained winds of more than 80 km per hour.
The National Institute of Meteorology issued a red alert for Rio Grande do Sul, forecasting up to 10 centimeters of rain and gusts exceeding 100 km per hour.
The storm struck as Brazil braces for extreme weather events amid the development of this year's El Nino phenomenon. ■
