Replica of Statue of Liberty in Brazil brought down by strong winds
A replica of the Statue of Liberty in Brazil fell amid intense weather conditions.
The 79-foot-tall statue fell from its 36-foot pedestal on Dec. 15, around 3 p.m. local time at Guaiba, Rio Grande do Sul, as reported by Newsweek.
Wind speeds of 50 to 56 miles per hour hit the area, according to Guaíba Mayor Marcelo Maranata, causing the incident.
Footage showed the statue bending against the wind and was already leaning forward before it slowly tumbled to the ground.
The statue's raised arm and head crashed and crumbled down into the nearby parking lot, but parked cars were quick to move out.
No injuries were reported in the incident. Emergency services cordoned off the area as debris was cleared in a matter of hours.
"Since the first moment, we've been on the streets following the situation closely," Mayor Maranata wrote in a translated post on Facebook, "The Civil Defense and the Secretary of Infrastructure are fully mobilized, attending to events and ensuring the safety of the population."
Some social media users made fun of the situation.
"Mother nature not feeling the US lately" one commented.
"There’s something eerily poetic about a Statue of Liberty being taken down by forces we still underestimate: climate, infrastructure neglect and poor planning," said another on X.
Reports said that the replica statue was commissioned by Havan and appeared in 2020 when the retailer opened the location.
The real Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor remains standing.
