NOS News•today, 05:40
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in southern Brazil has risen to 78. More than 115,000 people have also had to leave their homes, local authorities report. The death toll could rise further as 105 people were reported missing yesterday, compared to 70 on Saturday.
The flood in the state of Rio Grande do Sul is the result of persistent rainfall. Roads and bridges have been washed away and air traffic to and from the city of Porto Alegre has been temporarily halted. More than 400,000 people were without power last night.
Brazilian President Lula visited the hard-hit state yesterday. “The bureaucracy will not stand in our way, will not prevent us from restoring the greatness of the state,” he said at a news conference. “It is a war scenario and post-war measures will be necessary,” added Governor Eduardo Leite.
Rescue with jet skis
Volunteers try to save people with boats, jet skis and swimming themselves. A man tells Reuters that he and three friends have saved more than fifty people with jet skis. “The only thing we hear when we enter a street is ‘help,’ ‘help.'”
At a shelter in Porto Alegre, a woman describes how she, her husband and three children were rescued when water almost reached the second floor of their home. “There were floods in September, then in November, and now this one. It’s just going to get worse.”
