INCESSANT RAIN WREAKS HAVOC IN SOUTH BRAZIL; DEATH TOLL RISES TO 56

Authorities in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul reported on Saturday afternoon that the death toll from rains has risen to 57, with dozens still unaccounted for.

According to Rio Grande do Sul's civil defence authority, 67 people are still missing, and over 32,000 individuals have been displaced. Storms have impacted nearly two-thirds of the state's 497 cities, which share borders with Uruguay and Argentina.

This marks the fourth environmental disaster within a year, following floods in July, September, and November 2023, which claimed the lives of 75 people in total.

The flooding statewide has exceeded that observed during a historic deluge in 1941, according to the Brazilian Geological Service. In some cities, water levels reached their highest point in nearly 150 years of recorded history, the agency said.

On Thursday, a dam at a hydroelectric plant between the cities of Bento Goncalves and Cotipora partially collapsed, and entire cities in the Taquari River valley, like Lajeado and Estrela, were completely overtaken by water. In the town of Feliz, 50 miles (80 kilometres) from the state capital, Porto Alegre, a massively swollen river swept away a bridge that connected it with the neighbouring city of Linha Nova.

Operators reported electricity, communications, and water cuts across the state. More than 24,000 people had to leave their homes, according to the civil defence agency.

With inputs from agencies.

2024-05-04T19:23:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd