Sao Paulo: The death toll from torrential rains in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul has climbed to 56, according to local authorities on Saturday morning, with around 70 individuals still unaccounted for.
Rio Grande do Sul’s civil defense authority reported that 67 people remain missing, with nearly 25,000 individuals displaced as storms wreak havoc across more than half of the state’s 497 cities, bordering Uruguay and Argentina.
The deluge has wreaked havoc, destroying roads, bridges, and triggering landslides across several regions. A small hydroelectric power plant witnessed the partial collapse of a dam, while another dam in Bento Goncalves faces imminent risk of failure, as per authorities’ warnings.
In the state capital, Porto Alegre, the Guaiba river overflowed, inundating streets and leading to widespread flooding. Porto Alegre’s international airport has halted all flights indefinitely in response to the crisis.
Governor Eduardo Leite cautioned reporters on Friday evening that the death toll may escalate further as rescue efforts continue. The looming threat of additional rainfall in the state’s northern regions, forecasted by Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology, has prompted authorities to urge residents in vulnerable areas to seek shelter elsewhere.
