At least four people lost their lives, several were injured, and nearly thirty individuals are currently reported missing following a fire caused by an explosion on Wednesday at an agricultural cooperative in southern Brazil.
The Health Consortium of Western Municipalities in the state of Paraná, which shares borders with Argentina and Paraguay, reported that four people died during the fire at one of the facilities of the C.Vale cooperative, located in Palotina municipality.
According to information from the Fire Department at the scene, 27 people are still missing, and an undisclosed number of injured individuals were taken to hospitals in Palotina and neighboring cities of Cascavel and Toledo.
Rescue efforts involving a group of 35 firefighters and search dogs are underway to find individuals among the debris of the burned warehouses, which stored soybeans, corn, wheat, cassava, milk, chicken, and fish.
Authorities in Paraná have initiated investigations to determine the cause of the explosion, as stated by the Consortium.
C.Vale is recognized as the fifth largest agricultural cooperative in the country, with 26,000 associates and 13,000 employees, operating in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, Río Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and also in Paraguay.