Tropical cyclone blacks out 182,000 homes in southern Brazil

SAO PAULO (AP) — Tropical Cyclone Yakecan hit Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul and authorities said about 182,000 homes were without electricity Tuesday night.

Local utility CEEE Equatorial said on its social media channels that it had all its staff out dealing with damage from the storm, which blew trees and other large objects onto power lines. The company said it could not predict when service would be fully restored.

Earlier, authorities cancelled soccer matches, closed public buildings early, suspended classes in schools and universities and beefed up services for the homeless due to fears of major disruptions caused by winds of more than 60 mph (100 kph).

Weather experts said the tropical cyclone would buffet the region until early Thursday.