Brazil rains: At least 56 people were killed in heavy rains in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul this week, according to local authorities on Saturday (May 4). Several people were still unaccounted for. According to Rio Grande do Sul's civil defence authority, 74 people were missing and over 69,000 had been displaced as storms in the last few days have affected nearly two thirds of the 497 cities in the state bordering Uruguay and Argentina, news agency Reuters reported.
The local authority said that it was investigating if another seven deaths were connected to the storms, after earlier in the day it had reported a total of more than 55 deaths.
“Floods destroyed roads and bridges in several regions of the state. The storm also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant. A second dam in the city of Bento Goncalves is also at risk of collapsing,” authorities said.
Flights suspended at Porto Alegre's international airport
In Porto Alegre, the Guaiba lake broke its banks and flooded the streets. All flights from Porto Alegre's international airport have been suspended for an indefinite period.
According to State Governor Eduardo Leite on Saturday evening, Rio Grande do Sul would need a "Marshall Plan" to recover from the storms and its consequences.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had paid to visit to Rio Grande do Sul on Thursday, will return to the rain-hit state once again on Sunday to take stock of the rescue operations, his chief of communication Paulo Pimenta said on Saturday.
Lula took to X and said that his government is in constant contact with state and cities' authorities to support the region with whatever they need.
What does the meteorology authority say?
Rains are expected in the northern and northeastern regions of the state until Sunday, but the volume of precipitation has been declining, and should be well below the peak seen earlier in the week, according to the state meteorology authority.
Still, "rivers water levels should stay high for some days", Leite said earlier on Saturday.
Rio Grande do Sul is at a geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, which has created a weather pattern with periods of intense rains and others of drought. Local scientists believe the pattern has been intensifying due to climate change.
(With Reuters inputs)
