Khaberni - The giant statue, which mimics the American symbol of liberty, fell from a height of twenty-four meters, leaving behind a cloud of dust and scattered debris in the parking lot, bending slowly in front of the helpless pedestrians before succumbing to the fierce winds and crashing to the ground in a shocking scene that shook the city of Guaíba in Brazil.
The incident occurred in the afternoon of Monday, December 15th, when a violent storm swept through Rio Grande do Sul state, bringing with it winds that reached speeds of 90 kilometers per hour.
The statue stood tall in front of the massive Havan store since its opening five years ago, but it could not withstand the fury of nature this time.
The terrifying moments were captured on camera as the statue began to sway very slowly, as if resisting an unseen force pulling it toward the ground, while cars continued to rush on the adjacent road, oblivious to what was happening.
The hearts of the bystanders froze as they watched the heavy metal tilt more and more, until the decisive moment came.
The head of the statue shattered into small pieces upon hitting the ground, while vehicles continued to move on the nearby busy road near the accident site, as eyewitnesses quickly intervened to move the parked vehicles in the surrounding area, which helped in avoiding material damage.
Havan chain staff immediately isolated the area after the statue fell, and applied the adopted safety protocols to protect customers and workers, and the company confirmed in an official statement that the statue meets the required technical standards, indicating that it owns similar copies scattered in several locations across the country.
From an official stance, the mayor of the city, Marcelo Maranta, announced that there were no human injuries thanks to the prompt handling of the situation, praising the coordination between local civil defense teams and state officials, and debris removal operations began a few hours later without affecting the operational activities of the store.
