BUENOS AIRES – A violent storm described as a freak “tornado” killed at least 17 people in the southern part of South America and punched hundreds of houses off their foundations Tuesday, officials said.  At least 50 people have been reported injured as strong winds and large hail destroyed homes across the area.

San Pedro’s Civil Defense Director, Ricardo Veselka said that at least 10 people have been killed in Argentina including seven children.

Witnesses and local media described the storm as a “tornado.”

Santa Catarina’s state civil defense service, which counted four of the deaths, also called the sudden storm “a probable tornado.”

South American meteorologists were wary of using that term, although according to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center – the juncture of the four countries affected is the only zone in South America with a likelihood of experiencing tornadic thunderstorms, although tornadoes can anywhere.

Jorge Leguizmon of Argentina’s National Meteorological Service stated – “It could have been a tornado.”

Officials from the Brazilian city of Guaraciba said at least four people were killed by the tornado and at least two others were killed after a mudslide swept into their ramshackle homes.

At least five people are still believed to be missing in Sao Paulo where rescue workers are digging through the rubble.  It is further believed that two children are missing and have been buried in rubble after part of a school collapsed, according to civil defense officials.

The worst of the damage occurred in small Argentina towns of El Progreso and Santa Rosa.  Officials stated that houses and even a city health center were destroyed early Tuesday.  “Whole houses disappeared,” Veslka said. “There are post down, trees down, and there are more than 50 people injured.”

“The phenomenon still hasn’t been classified. Experts will have to evaluate the damage,” he said.

The provincial minister for Argentina’s hardest hit area, Daniel Franco, said it was clear that the storm was “not normal for this area.”

“We’ve always had very strong winds and torrential rains here,” he said. “But this was a phenomenon never seen before. Houses were completely destroyed.”

Hundreds of homes were also severely damaged in other parts of South America.  In Paraguay, officials said some 700 rural properties were damaged by hail.

The change in weather saw temperatures in the capital Asuncion suddenly plunge from 35 degrees Celsius to 12 degrees (95 degrees Fahrenheit to 54 degrees).

Tags: oddbeats, tornado