On May 25, a tornado swept through Puerto Varas, in southern Chile, leaving 19 people injured, 250 homes damaged, and more than 4,500 buildings without electricity.
Though a tornado is not a rare occurrence in Chile, an official meteorologist noted that lately they are happening more often than usual, and that this phenomenon may become more frequent due to climate change.
But what do we know about tornadoes anyway? A tornado is an atmospheric vortex that occurs in rain or thunderclouds. It looks like a cloudy funnel, which often descends to ground level and spreads at high speed, causing significant damage. Although tornadoes can, and do, happen everywhere, the US especially gets hit the hardest, with an average of around 1,150 tornadoes annually.
From the American Midwest to the plains of Bangladesh, click on for some of the most terrifying tornadoes in history.