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Floods in northeast Brazil
Images from a drone show the extent of the disaster in the Brazilian state of Bahia in the northeast of the country. Here in Itabuna the water was in the streets on Boxing Day, numerous buildings were flooded, cars were under water. Two dams were previously broken after heavy rains, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. “It’s crazy like a sea. We had a tidal wave almost two meters high here,” said this resident. Initially, there were no reports of deaths or injuries. The state of Bahia has had significant rainfall since the beginning of November, and 18 people are said to have died as a result, regardless of the dam breaks at the weekend. According to the authorities, around 400,000 people from 67 cities and towns had to leave their apartments and houses in the past few weeks. According to official figures, the capital Salvador fell six times more rain than usual in December.
After heavy rains in recent weeks, rivers such as the Cachoeira overflowed their banks. Two dams broke on the weekend.