Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral International Desk
A strong gust of wind brought down a large replica of the Statue of Liberty in southern Brazil on Monday, December 15, raising concerns about structural safety amid severe weather conditions. The 24-metre-tall structure collapsed in the city of Guaíba, near Porto Alegre, within the metropolitan region of Rio Grande do Sul. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The replica was installed in the car park of a Havan retail store, close to a fast-food outlet. Video footage circulating on social media shows the statue tilting visibly before toppling to the ground, even as vehicles continued moving along a busy nearby road. Some motorists were seen attempting to move their vehicles away as strong winds battered the area.
The retail chain confirmed that the area was nearly empty at the time of the incident, a factor that helped prevent harm to the public. Earlier in the day, local civil defence authorities had issued a red alert warning residents of severe winds, urging people to remain indoors, disconnect electrical appliances, and secure doors and windows.
Officials from the civil defence department stated that a technical assessment will be conducted to determine the cause of the collapse and to recommend preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future. The incident has renewed attention on weather preparedness and the structural resilience of large installations during extreme weather events.
