At least nine people have died after storms swept through the heart of South America on Tuesday and Wednesday. Five people died in Paraguay, two in Uruguay and two in Bolivia.

Dozens of injured people in Paraguay flocked Asuncion’s hospitals and traffic was brought to a standstill across parts of the city. Nationwide, at least 5,000 homes were destroyed and more than 80 people suffered injuries.

The storm also blew the roof off homes and barns in Neembucu, south of the capital, and knocked out power in the town of Encarnacion for many hours.

The winds were not quite as strong further south in Argentina and Uruguay, but did reach as high as 100 kph. There was still damage to roofs and power lines and many trees were toppled as the storm blasted through.

Uruguay’s national emergency committee chief, Diego Capena said 140,000 customers had lost power. That is more than 10 per cent of the country.

There was also some flooding and the two people that died in Uruguay, drowned when their car was submerged into a swollen creek. At least 462 people had to leave their homes.