Brazil: 56 Dead and 74 Missing Due to Rains

Brazilian authorities confirmed on Saturday that the rains and overflows of rivers in the south of the country have caused at least 56 deaths and a total of 74 disappeared.

RELATED:

Strong Storms Leave 10 Dead in Brazil

Civil Defense reported that another 7 deaths recorded in flood-affected areas could be added to the list of victims, but authorities are still investigating whether the cause of these deaths is related to the rains.

The most affected state is Rio Grande do Sul, bordering Uruguay and Argentina, where there are 55 confirmed deaths, while in the neighboring state of Santa Catarina a death has been recorded. A total of 82,566 people have had to leave their homes in Rio Grande do Sul, of which 13,324 remain in public shelters.

Yesterday Friday President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Thursday (2) that there will be no lack of resources from the federal government to help the population of Rio Grande do Sul and rebuild the affected municipalities.

For his part, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, said in a press conference that "the rain has begun to give a truce," but he anticipated that the region will face difficulties for several days, until the rivers return to their course, and then, it will require financial help to recover.

The governor said that tomorrow Sunday will be "a decisive day for the rescues" of people who are isolated and to understand the evolution of the crisis, which began last Monday with unusually high rainfall, which raised the level of numerous rivers in the region.

Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million inhabitants, is isolated from the rest of the country both by road and by plane while the floods have not been greater in the regional capital because five-metre-high floodgates built in the port area have been closed.