Montevideo, Jul 12 (IANS): At least 200 houses were damaged by a storm with winds of up to 120 km per hour in the city of Paysandu, capital of the department of the same name in western Uruguay, local authorities said.

At least 32 people were injured as a result of the storm on Monday, although none seriously, the department's Police Chief, Eduar Alvez, told the daily "El Observador".

The National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmissions, the public power company, said on Twitter that the early morning storm "caused significant damage to the power grid in the department of Paysandu," leaving about 30,000 homes without electricity.

Winds ripped the roofs off more than 200 houses and toppled 400 trees, the acting Mayor of Paysandu, Fermin Farinha, said at a press conference, urging local residents to stay indoors due to fallen "electric cables on public roads".

The Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology confirmed that wind gusts of 120 km per hour were reported at the Paysandu airport, located 6 km south of the city, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Presidential Secretary Alvaro Delgado announced on Twitter that in view of the "great damage," the National Emergency System was working with the departmental emergency coordination center to deliver aid to those affected.