Tornado damage in Uruguay April 2016
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Comment: This was the first deadly tornado in Uruguay in 30 years.


A tornado ripped through the southwestern city of Dolores in Uruguay, killing four people and leaving hundreds injured, government officials said. More than 200 people suffered injuries and about 400 structures have been affected, said Uruguayan Sen. Guillermo Besozzi. Images from the city showed overturned cars piled on top of one other, shattered windows and decimated buildings.


The tornado hit the city around 4 p.m. local time Friday. The National Institute of Meteorology has yet to determine the scale of the tornado."There are businesses in the center of the city, completely destroyed. Schools, churches destroyed. This is something never seen before. This is something out of the normal for our country," Besozzi said.

Mariela Umpiérrez, a resident of Dolores, told CNN en Español that her house, office car and those of her relatives were damaged. "The images seems taken out of a movie, but not from reality," she said. The Uruguay government pledged to send emergency help to the affected areas. There have been some looting in the area, but the government has sent officers to address it, Besozzi said.