Disasters
At least 56 dead in floods in Brazil
A man wades through an area flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. photo
© Carlos Macedo/AP/dpa
After heavy rain, the state of Rio Grande do Sul is drowning in masses of water. Tens of thousands are seeking refuge and at least 56 have died. Brazil’s President Lula speaks of historic proportions.
In floods after days of rain, the number of deaths is in the south Brazil’s number has risen to at least 56. At least 67 people are also missing, the South American country’s civil defense said on Saturday. More than 281 communities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were affected. More than 24,000 people were forced from their homes because of the floods. More than 8,000 were accommodated in emergency accommodation.
In Porto Alegre, the state capital, the Guaíba, a confluence of several rivers, reached a record level of 4.77 meters on Friday evening (local time), according to the city’s civil protection. This exceeds the previous record value from 1941 by one centimeter, the civil defense announced on the platform X (formerly Twitter).
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on Friday of one of the largest floods in the country’s history. “Never in the history of Brazil has there been so much rain in one place,” he said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the capital Brasilia.
According to the civil defense, more than 2,000 rescue workers were deployed. According to the Defense Ministry, the military is also supporting the work with more than 900 emergency personnel, nine aircraft and 98 boats. So far more than 8,000 people have been rescued.
The rain began on Monday and caused widespread flooding and landslides. Houses and bridges were damaged and numerous roads became impassable. A dam partially burst on Thursday.
Communication from Civil Protection Video of the press conference on X Communication from the Ministry of Defense Civil Protection on rescue operations Civil Protection Porto Alegre on X