SAO PAULO:
The death toll from heavy rains that devastated Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state rose to 31 on Wednesday, local authorities said, as an extratropical cyclone batters the region, flooding homes and swelling rivers.
Video obtained by Reuters showed houses in the small town of Mucum submerged by rising water, while streets and rivers were flooded. Nearby towns such as Lajeado and Roca Sales have also been hit hard.
The Rio Grande do Sul floods were the latest in a string of such disasters to recently hit Brazil, where more than 50 people died in the state of Sao Paulo earlier this year after massive downpours triggered landslides and flooding.
The colonial-era city of Petropolis near Rio de Janeiro and the state of Bahia has also recently suffered similar disasters, as has Santa Catarina, a state bordering Rio Grande do Sul, where an additional victim was confirmed on Tuesday.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday he had spoken with Rio Grande do Sul governor Eduardo Leite to offer the federal government’s full support to the state to “face this crisis.”
Lula sent two ministers to the state to oversee search and rescue efforts and said Vice President Geraldo Alckmin would also be “on standby” to travel there.
Weather forecaster Climatempo said that while the showers had held off on Tuesday, they were expected to return to Rio Grande do Sul on Wednesday and Thursday before dissipating by Sunday, while the state remains on alert for flooding.
“A combination of lower air pressure and the accumulation of warm, moist air will again create heavy clouds over Rio Grande do Sul, which will bring more heavy rainfall,” Climatempo said in a statement.
Rio Grande do Sul is home to about 10.9 million people and is home to various industries, in addition to being one of the largest grain-producing states in the country. It borders Uruguay and Argentina.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published through a syndicated feed.)