This is the dramatic moment a 24-metres-tall replica of the world-famous Statue of Liberty was toppled in Brazil.
The monument, installed in 2020, was knocked down in the city of Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul, in front of the Havan store on December 15 during a storm as winds reached speeds of 55mph, according to Brazil’s civil defence authority Defesa Civil.
But the 11-metres-high concrete base remained in tact.
Dramatic footage of the incident, which appears to have been taken from a nearby building, showed the statue, in a large car park near a McDonald’s, leaning forward as it eventually begins to fall.
It then crashes to the ground.
Footage of the incident has racked up millions of views online.
One X user said: ‘Structures like this are designed with large safety margins.
‘When they fail, it means wind speeds crossed a threshold planners don’t expect to see often.’
Another wrote: ‘That one guy who parks at the back of the car park to not get bumped now has the Statue of Liberty on his roof.’
But some were quick to point out the ‘symbolism’ of the incident.
Users linked the footage to their views on the current political climate, with one warning it was a ‘premonition of things to come’, while another agreed it ‘feels like an ominous sign’.
A third said the footage represented a ‘visual analogy if I have ever seen one’, while a fourth agreed it was ‘very symbolic’.
Similarly, one X user wrote: ‘There’s something eerily poetic about a Statue of Liberty being taken down by forces we still underestimate: climate, infrastructure neglect and poor planning.’
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Another said: ‘Nature always reminds us who is in charge.
‘Glad no one was hurt and hoping the community recovers quickly.’
In the footage, a white car was parked next to the statue but it is unclear whether it was damaged after the monument’s raised right arm came close to the vehicle in the incident.
No injuries were reported and the area was cordoned off to allow staff from the Havan department store to remove the statue, according to local media.
Havan reportedly said in a statement: ‘The area was immediately isolated by the company, following all safety protocols.’
It added that debris removal began hours after the monument was toppled with no interuption to store operations.
The company said the statue met technical standards across its nationwide replicas according to local reports, adding that an internal investigation has been launched.
The state of Rio Grande do Sul experienced severe weather on Monday when the statue fell.
Hail was reported in Tio Hugo while roofs in Passo Fundo, Santa Cruz do Sul and Vera Cruz were damaged. Heavy rain also flooded Lajeado.
However authorities said there were no widespread power or service outages in the metropolitan area of the Brazilian state.
The large replicas of the Statue of Liberty are used by Havan across the country – and the collapse of the monument in Guaíba on Monday is not the first to fall.
One of the replicas was toppled in Capao da Canoa during a cyclone in 2021 as wind speeds hit between 40mph and 50mph.
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