A Brazilian farmer known locally as "Mr Potato" has died after being crushed by a bulk bag containing nearly a tonne of potatoes at his family's business in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Nivaldo Magagnin, 63, was killed on Wednesday 9 September, just one day after his birthday, when the steel cable suspending the load roughly two metres above the ground snapped, sending it crashing down on top of him. The death has prompted an outpouring of tribute in his home town, where he was also a serving local councillor.

Rescuers found Magagnin, known as "Nivaldo da Batata", pinned beneath the bag with no visible external injuries, and firefighters confirmed he had died at the scene despite colleagues and family attempting to free him before emergency services arrived. He had used his nickname when elected to the municipal council of Treze de Maio in 2024, winning 437 votes, and his daughter Mirieli had also served as a councillor there. The town hall declared three days of mourning, and police have opened a workplace accident investigation, with a post-mortem and forensic checks on the lifting equipment due to determine exactly how the accident happened.