EF-2 Tornado Destroys School, Cuts Power to Thousands in Chile's O'Higgins

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A powerful and rare tornado swept through several municipalities in Chile's O'Higgins Region on the afternoon of Monday, October 26, leaving a school in Requínoa in ruins, cutting electricity to thousands of households, and driving the country's emergency agency to issue its highest alert tier for the affected commune.

A Rare Atmospheric Event in Central Chile

Chile's Dirección Meteorológica (DMC) placed the tornado's formation at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time, with the funnel materializing in the area separating Requínoa from Rengo, roughly 104 kilometers south of Santiago along the Ruta 5 Sur highway. The rotating column also passed through portions of Machalí, extending its path of destruction across several communities in the region. Motorists traveling the main highway recorded video of the funnel crossing directly ahead of them while dragging debris at full force — footage that spread across social media within minutes of the event.

The occurrence caught residents and meteorologists alike off guard. Under the Enhanced Fujita scale, which Chile applies to classify these phenomena, an EF-2 designation corresponds to wind speeds estimated between 179 and 218 km/h — powerful enough to tear roofs from well-built structures, overturn mobile homes outright, and snap or uproot large trees. The DMC noted that the rating remains subject to revision as specialists continue analyzing physical damage evidence collected in the field.

School Suffers Near-Total Structural Damage

The most severe single consequence of the storm was the near-total destruction of Colegio Tricahue, a public school in Requínoa. The tornado leveled the gymnasium entirely, tore away roofing across large portions of the building, shattered windows throughout the facility, and sent a storage container flying into a public road. Requínoa Mayor Waldo Valdivia told T13 that the destruction was grave and covered the gymnasium, roofing, windows, and containers. He confirmed that while students were still present on the grounds when the tornado struck — classes had ended, though some pupils remained for extracurricular activities — none of them were harmed.

Regional Presidential Delegate Susana Pinto confirmed that the government was aware of the damage at Colegio Tricahue and told reporters that emergency teams, Carabineros, and firefighters had already been deployed across affected sectors.

Red Alert, Homes Damaged, and Mass Power Outages

Senapred — Chile's national emergency management agency — issued a Red Alert for Requínoa, the highest tier in the country's alert classification system, triggering an automatic mobilization of resources across multiple government agencies.

Residential areas in Requínoa absorbed direct hits, with roofs stripped from homes and walls collapsed across several properties. By the following morning, assessments had identified approximately 85 residences with damage in Requínoa and around 49 in Rengo, placing the combined regional total under active evaluation at more than 130 properties, according to Radio Universidad de Chile. The Villa Los Jardines sector — particularly along Calle Las Dalias — and the Las Mercedes neighborhood were among the hardest-hit residential zones, according to Carabineros.

The storm also brought down power poles and disabled utility lines throughout the area. Electric company CGE reported the event initially disrupted service for 8,046 customers in Requínoa alone, according to Emol, with crews dispatched immediately to assess damage and begin power restoration.

Rail Service Halted After Track Damage

State railway operator EFE announced that the tornado caused physical damage to rail infrastructure in the Rosario sector, located between Rancagua and San Fernando. As a result, train service on that corridor was suspended while crews assessed the damage, according to The Clinic. Officials gave no immediate timeline for resuming normal operations, noting that difficult terrain and poor access conditions were complicating repair work.

One Injured, No Fatalities Recorded

Despite the widespread destruction, emergency tallies updated the morning after the event recorded one elderly person with minor injuries and no confirmed deaths, though local officials cautioned the count could shift as inspection crews continued working through damaged areas across the region. Emergency teams remained deployed overnight, coordinating shelter assessments and debris removal operations.

The DMC reiterated that the EF-2 rating is preliminary and subject to further review. The Requínoa tornado arrived less than two weeks after a weather event at the Terminal Sur bus station in Santiago's Estación Central district that the DMC initially classified as a preliminary EF-0 tornado — but which the agency subsequently reclassified as a gustnado, a surface-level rotating wind phenomenon that differs from a true tornado. Together, both events underscore the pattern of severe spring weather systems striking Chile's central valleys throughout 2026.

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