São Paulo. The heavy rains that hit Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, caused the death of at least 83 people, authorities reported this Monday, while more than a hundred remain missing.
The storms affected more than two-thirds of the state’s nearly 500 cities, leaving some 122,000 people displaced, according to the state civil defense authority.
Flooding caused by the storms destroyed roads and bridges in several cities, while causing landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric plant.
The state governor, Eduardo Leite, stressed that the death toll should increase considerably as rescue teams access more regions.
The civil defense of Rio Grande do Sul reported that 111 people were still missing, a number that has also increased in recent days. On Sunday night it reported at least 78 dead and 105 missing.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday with most of his cabinet, saying that bureaucracy would not prevent the government from rebuilding the state.
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– 2024-05-09 23:27:25
