A dramatic video circulating online shows a towering replica of the Statue of Liberty collapsing in Brazil after being battered by powerful winds, turning a familiar landmark into a pile of debris within seconds.
The incident took place in the municipality of Guaíba, in southern Brazil, and was captured on camera during a severe storm. Footage shows the massive structure swaying before suddenly giving way, crashing to the ground and breaking into several large pieces upon impact. The video quickly spread on social media and was later reported by NDTV, drawing widespread attention due to the scale of the collapse.
The replica statue was located in the parking lot of a Havan shopping center, positioned prominently across from a McDonald’s restaurant. Standing nearly 40 meters tall, the monument consisted of an 11-meter pedestal and a 24-meter sculpture modeled after the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York. While the sculpture itself was destroyed in the fall, officials confirmed that the pedestal remained largely intact.
Havan, a well-known Brazilian retail chain, has installed similar Statue of Liberty replicas outside several of its shopping centers across the country as part of its branding. According to the company, the Guaíba statue was erected in 2020 during the mall’s grand opening and had undergone all required technical inspections and safety certifications at the time of installation.
The collapse occurred amid intense weather conditions. Meteorological services reported wind gusts reaching up to 90 kilometers per hour in the area when the storm struck. Authorities are now investigating whether the extreme winds alone caused the failure or if other structural or environmental factors contributed to the incident.
Guaíba Mayor Marcelo Maranata confirmed that no one was injured when the statue fell, a fortunate outcome given the monument’s size and its location in a busy commercial area. Cleanup efforts began shortly after the collapse, and officials are expected to review safety measures for similar structures in the region.
