Did the Statue of Liberty collapse? Here is what we know!

One Tuesday, social media was flooded with posts claiming that the Statue of Liberty collapsed after strong winds since morning. However, it was later found that it was indeed the Statue of Liberty, but not the real one. It was a replica in Brazil.

Reports stated, a storm with gusts exceeding 90 km/h caused a 24-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty to collapse outside a Havan department store in Guaíba, part of the Porto Alegre metropolitan region in Rio Grande do Sul state, on Monday afternoon.

No injuries were reported, thanks to swift action by store staff and bystanders who cleared the parking lot area just in time. Several vehicles had been parked nearby when the structure began tilting before crashing down.

A storm with gusts exceeding 90 km/h caused a 24-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty to collapse outside a Havan department store in Guaíba, part of the Porto Alegre metropolitan region in Rio Grande do Sul state, on Monday afternoon.#Brazil#statueoflibertypic.twitter.com/GcmvGPkJrt

— DY365 (@DY365) December 16, 2025

Video footage of the incident quickly spread across social media, capturing the statue slowly leaning and then falling amid the fierce winds triggered by an approaching cold front. One widely shared clip, posted by X user @BGatesIsaPyscho, was captioned: "Meanwhile in Brazil... Strong Winds just toppled this replica statue of Liberty."

In a statement, Havan emphasised that the replica – a signature feature of its stores nationwide and installed in 2020 – was constructed in compliance with national technical standards and engineering certifications. The company has launched an internal investigation to determine the precise cause, including whether factors beyond the extreme weather contributed.

"The area was promptly isolated in full adherence to safety protocols," the retailer noted, adding that debris removal began shortly after and store operations continued largely unaffected. The base of the structure, measuring about 11 meters, remained intact.

Local administration, including Guaíba Mayor Marcelo Maranata, commended the rapid response that prevented any casualties. Brazilian civil defence officials are also reviewing the incident as part of broader assessments following the storm, which brought warnings for high winds, hail, and potential flooding across the region.

Weather conditions are forecast to stabilise starting Tuesday. This marks the second time a Havan Statue of Liberty replica has succumbed to severe winds, following a similar collapse in 2021 during a cyclone in another part of the country.

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