Death toll from floods in Brazils southernmost state reaches 31

Published September 06,2023

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The demise toll from heavy rains that devastated Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state rose to 31 on Wednesday, native authorities stated, as an extratropical cyclone batters the area, flooding houses and swelling rivers.

Video obtained by Reuters confirmed homes within the small city of Mucum submerged by rising water, whereas streets and rivers have been flooded. Nearby cities akin to Lajeado and Roca Sales have additionally been severely affected.

The floods in Rio Grande do Sul have been the newest in a collection of such disasters to have just lately struck Brazil, the place greater than 50 folks have been killed in Sao Paulo state earlier this yr after large downpours brought about landslides and flooding.

The colonial-era metropolis of Petropolis close to Rio de Janeiro and Bahia state additionally suffered related disasters just lately, in addition to Santa Catarina, a state neighboring Rio Grande do Sul the place a further sufferer was confirmed on Tuesday.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on Wednesday he had spoken to Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite to supply the federal authorities’s full assist for the state to “face this crisis.”

Lula despatched two ministers to the state to supervise search and rescue efforts and stated Vice President Geraldo Alckmin would even be “on standby” to journey there.

Weather forecaster Climatempo stated that regardless that showers had stopped on Tuesday, they have been anticipated to return to Rio Grande do Sul on Wednesday and Thursday earlier than dissipating by Sunday, with the state nonetheless on alert for floods.

“A combination of lower air pressure and the accumulation of warm humid air will again generate heavy clouds over Rio Grande do Sul, which will cause more heavy rain,” Climatempo stated in a press release.

Rio Grande do Sul is residence to some 10.9 million folks and hosts a number of industries, along with being among the many high grain-producing states within the nation. It borders Uruguay and Argentina.