Family rescue in Giruá after tornado devastates homes in Rio Grande do Sul
A tornado caused great destruction and injuries to three houses belonging to the same family in the region of Rincão dos Ribeiro, in the interior of Giruá, in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul, on July 28, 2026. The weather phenomenon, later confirmed by Civil Defense, left four people injured in the city and caused the death of animals. Three of the victims, who belonged to the same family, had to be rescued from the rubble.
The three affected properties belonged to a woman, her mother-in-law and her great-grandmother. With the collapse of residential structures, residents were trapped under the debris. Family members and neighbors came together in a joint effort to carry out the rescue.
Neide Amaral, Kelly’s father — one of the people affected — reported that, despite not living there, he was immediately called by his daughter. “People came together to get [them] out from under the surroundings”, described Neide about the mobilization.
According to Kelly’s father, the elderly woman remained buried under the remains of the houses for the longest time, taking around two hours until the rescue was finally completed.
With emotion, Neide Amaral described the situation as “total despair”.
The three injured people were taken to medical care in hospitals in the municipalities of Santo Ângelo and Giruá. Kelly was released from the hospital, but the other two were still receiving medical treatment on the morning of July 29.
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In the affected area, residents work hard to try to recover belongings, such as cell phones, amid the rubble of their houses. In addition to structural losses, there were records of animals, including cattle, found dead and injured on the property.
The tornado also impacted the neighboring cities of Sete de Setembro and Senador Salgado Filho, resulting in a total of seven people injured in the region.
Understand what a tornado is and its impacts
Due to the absence of weather stations in the area, it was not possible to determine the exact wind speed. The strong gusts caused a lot of damage, such as the roofing of properties and the falling of trees and poles. On Sete de Setembro, two residences were completely destroyed.
The phenomenon, according to the state’s Civil Defense, was generated by a supercell, which is a type of storm characterized by a rotating upward current. Such supercells often produce large hail and intense gusts of wind, and can, on occasion, lead to tornadoes.
According to information from the Civil Defense Monitoring Center, radar data indicates that the tornado occurred around 6:25 pm, directly associated with a supercell.
Climatempo Meteorologia explains that terms such as tornado, microexplosion and macroexplosion designate “extremely strong air currents that break away from the base of some very extensive cumulonimbus clouds, known as supercells”.
The classification of each phenomenon depends on an in-depth technical analysis. A tornado is characterized when the funnel-shaped base of the supercell is visible on the horizon and touches the ground. In many cases, the funnel is only visible at the base of the cloud and does not reach the ground. A tornado can travel great distances, causing damage kilometers from its center of origin.
Affected areas and recovery efforts
According to the Sete de Setembro Civil Defense, three people were taken to hospital with injuries. The agency also confirmed that two homes were completely destroyed in the city.
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In Giruá, the tornado mainly affected the communities of Rincão dos Coimbras, Rincão dos Mellos, Rincão dos Ribeiros, Amaral and Melgarejo.
Learn more: Tornado hits Rio Grande do Sul again for the second week in a row
The local city hall reported that homes suffered severe damage, at least four people were injured and numerous trees fell.
In addition to the intense winds, there was also a record of low intensity hail in some regions.
In Senador Salgado Filho, several properties were impacted by roofing, falling trees and interruptions to the electricity grid. At least 12 houses were hit, affecting around 50 people.
Position of Giruá city hall on the incident
The Municipal Government of Giruá reported that, due to the strong adverse weather event recorded in the late afternoon and early evening of July 28, preliminary information indicates that a possible tornado hit locations in the interior of the municipality.
Initial surveys indicate that the communities of Rincão dos Coimbras, Rincão dos Mellos, Rincão dos Ribeiros, Amaral and Melgarejo are among those most impacted by the phenomenon.
Soon after becoming aware of the incident, the Municipal Government mobilized its entire response structure. Teams from the Fire Department, the Municipal Health Department, with ambulances, and the Municipal Civil Defense immediately headed to the affected areas, where they are providing care and assistance to the victims.
Teams from the Public Works Department, municipal employees and the entire fleet of heavy machinery were also called into action. The objective is to clear roads, cut down and remove fallen trees, reestablish access to communities and ensure the necessary conditions to provide assistance to affected families.
Preliminary information details that homes suffered significant damage, resulting in injured people, in addition to the fall of many trees and losses involving animals. The teams continue to survey the damage and respond to ongoing incidents.
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The Municipal Government reassures the population, informing that all measures are being taken to preserve lives, offer assistance to families and minimize the impacts caused by the climate event.
According to Marielle Dalla Costa, coordinator of Municipal Civil Defense and secretary of Human Promotion, the entire structure of the municipality remains mobilized to provide the necessary support to people who, in some way, suffered damage as a result of the storm.
The Municipal Government will continue to monitor the situation in real time and will keep the population informed through its official channels as new information is confirmed.
