Floods in southern Brazil leave at least 67 people dead

A total of 67 people have died as of Sunday from the massive floods that have occurred in southern Brazil, a situation that has also left more than 100 missing, as reported by the relevant authorities.

And it is precisely the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is located between the borders of Argentina and Uruguay, has been the most affected by the heavy rains that have hit the Amazon giant and which according to the latest reports is the entity in which there have been the most fatalities with a total of 66, while in Santa Catarina there has been one death.

Authorities are investigating whether six other deaths might be related to this climatic event that has hit Brazil since the beginning of last week, which has already been classified as the worst natural disaster in the history of the region, according to Efe.

So far, these floods have caused the displacement of tens of thousands of people. To date, a total of 80,573 inhabitants have had to leave their homes. and moved to those of relatives and friends, while 15,192 have found accommodation in public shelters.

In Rio Grande do Sul, with a population of 11 million people, some 421,000 homes remain without electricity as of this morning and 115 municipalities lack telephone and internet services.

As for roads, 61 roads are still partially or completely blocked due to rising rivers.

The level of the Guaíba River, whose waters have flooded the historic centre of the regional capital of Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million inhabitants, rose once more this morning to 5.33 centimetres, its highest level in history.

Meanwhile, the city’s international airport, which closed on Friday night following flooding reached its runways, remains shut.

After visiting the affected region on Thursday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvais travelling to Rio Grande do Sul once more this Sunday to follow up on the response to the emergency, for which the Government has deployed a thousand soldiers to assist the regional Executive.