Deadly Storm with Gusts up to 140km/h Kills 13 in Argentina

A strong storm with gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour hit Argentina, killing at least 13 people.

According to Reuters and the New York Times (NYT) on the 17th (local time), a storm with gusts of up to 140 km per hour occurred in Bahia Blanca, a port city about 644 km south of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, the day before.

This left at least 13 people dead and at least 15 injured. The place where the greatest casualties occurred was the gym in Bayense del Norte, where the roller skating competition was held that night. Part of the building collapsed due to strong winds, reportedly killing 13 people.

On the 17th (local time), a car on a street in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is crushed by a tree that fell due to a storm the previous day./Reuters Yonhap News

“We are declaring a three-day mourning period,” Bahia Blanca Mayor Federico Susbieles said on

Over the weekend, 103,544 reports of damage to fallen trees, power lines, and signboards were received due to this storm. In the video released by local media, the trees are shaking as if they are about to fall, with almost no view in front of them due to strong rain and wind. Another video showed buildings collapsing and street trees being uprooted by the storm.

Clory Yeomans (25), a British national living in Argentina, said, “I woke up in my apartment in the center of Buenos Aires. It was the loudest wind noise I’ve ever heard in my life. “I could hear car horns and crashes outside,” he told the BBC. He continued, “When I looked the next day, some of the vehicles were completely crushed and there were windshields on the ground that had been blown out by the wind. Trees had fallen and the streets were blocked by debris blown by the wind.”

/X (old Twitter)

A video showing a parked airplane being pushed by strong winds went viral on social media. In the video, which is said to have been filmed at Jorge Newbery Airport near Buenos Aires, the plane stands still and then moves slightly, unable to withstand strong winds. Soon the speed increases and the plane eventually spins in place. Due to this wind, the boarding stairs next to it are pushed by the wings and fall down.

Meanwhile, as the storm moved, damage occurred in the neighboring country Uruguay. According to the Uruguay Meteorological Agency, as of the 17th, two people lost their lives due to this storm.

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2023-12-18 15:48:00