The death toll from the floods that hit the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 83. The search for over a hundred missing people is ongoing, local authorities said. The disaster affected more than two-thirds of the nearly 500 cities in the state. Tens of thousands of people had to leave their homes.
Thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain hit the southern regions of Brazil. There were extensive floods and flooding. The state of Rio Grande do Sul was most affected by the disaster, where at least 83 people died in the floods and over a hundred are missing, local authorities reported on Monday. The previous death toll was 78.
The violent weather affected more than two-thirds of the nearly 500 cities in Rio Grande do Sul state. About 130,000 people had to leave their homes. As a result of the flood, roads and bridges were destroyed and landslides occurred.
A football stadium like a lake
The drone footage below shows that the stadium belonging to Porto Alegre's Gremio football club turned into a lake after the downpours.
Flooding in Brazil recorded from a drone (video without sound)Reuters
The downpours turned the streets into raging rivers. People could only move around them by boat or scooter.
On Sunday, local authorities and volunteers rescued residents stuck in buildings in the flooded city of Canoas. Motor boats helped with this.
According to witnesses, the water reached the roofs of bus stops, and the lack of electricity and Internet access made communication difficult. Residents speak of a “collective nightmare” and a “terrifying situation.”
Brazilian Canoas underwaterReuters
Main photo source: Reuters