Dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in Brazil

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

The flooded Taquari river bridge (Picture: Sao Paulo Civil Defense/AFP)

The worst flooding in almost a century has killed at least 39 people while another 68 are missing in southern Brazil.

Torrential rain in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has wreaked havoc, with at least 39 people confirmed dead and more missing.

More than 24,000 people were also forced to leave their homes as flood water hit cities, with major electricity, water and communications cuts across the state, AP reports citing the civil defense agency.

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

A woman was evacuated in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, after the devastating floods (Picture: Renan Mattos/Reuters)

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

People have died and others evacuated after flooding in southern Brazil (Picture: Renan Mattos/Reuters)

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

People navigate flood water by boat, in Porto Alegre, Brazil (Picture: Renan Mattos/EPA)

It is the fourth environmental disaster in just a year after flooding in July, September and November last year that killed 75 people, the news agency said.

The meltdown of internet, phone and electricity connections made matters worse for residents who were struggling to contact loved ones in other parts of the country.

In apocalyptic scenes, choppers were seen flying non-stop over the engulfed cities while stranded families with children waited to be rescued on rooftops.

A dam at a hydroelectric plant between Bento Goncalves and Cotipora partially collapsed on Thursday, completely submerging cities in the Taquari River valley, including Lajeado and Estrela.

In the town of Feliz around 50 miles from the state capital, Porto Alegre, a swollen river swept away a bridge connecting it to a neighbouring city.

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

Residents were left without electricity, internet and water across southern Brazil (Picture: AP/AFP)

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

A drone view shows vehicles in the area engulfed by the floods, in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul state (Picture: Diego Vara/Reuters)

dozens of people dead and others missing after record-breaking floods in brazil

Firefighters helped residents to evacuate (Picture: Carlos Macedo/AP)

Isolete Neumann, 58, from Lajeado, told the AP the unprecedented floods felt like a ‘horror movie.’

She said: ‘People were making barricades in front of hospitals with sand and gravel. It felt like a horror movie.’

Although her neighbourhood was not swamped, she had no running water and she had not showered since Tuesday, while she collected rainwater to be able to cook.

But her clothing store in the city centre is flooded.

She continued: ‘I don’t even know how it must be. There must be nothing left.’

The heavy rain started on Monday and it is expected to last through Saturday, Marcelo Seluchi, chief meteorologist at the National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters, told Brazil’s public television network Friday.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a press conference during the visit of Japan’s premier Fumio Kishida: ‘The first words from Minister Fumio Kishida in the meeting we held were of solidarity with the people of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, who are victims by one of the largest floods we have ever known. Never before in the history of Brazil had there been such a quantity of rain in one single location.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro’s News Updates newsletter

OTHER NEWS

12 minutes ago

Nicolae Stanciu stunner helps Romania record impressive victory over Ukraine

15 minutes ago

Corus CEO Doug Murphy to retire, Troy Reeb and John Gossling named co-CEOs

15 minutes ago

Penticton neighbourhood to get shined up in community event

15 minutes ago

Scooter Braun Officially Retires As Music Manager After 23 Years

16 minutes ago

Tactical voting could make Tories lose once safe seats, according to guide

16 minutes ago

Fashion and football: Moschino scores!

16 minutes ago

Gary Neville sends Roy Keane message to Gareth Southgate over Arsenal star Declan Rice

16 minutes ago

Why is air quality so bad in Chicago and parts of Illinois? Here's what's happening

16 minutes ago

Swedish EV maker Polestar plans to enter seven markets in 2025

16 minutes ago

Matija Sarkic: Millwall manager Neil Harris pays tribute to goalkeeper after shock death

16 minutes ago

Ronald Koeman explains his side's struggles in win over Poland

16 minutes ago

Is this FTSE 100 passive income superstar also its best bargain right now?

16 minutes ago

Intel denies root cause for CPU instability, still investigating

16 minutes ago

Struggling furniture chain files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

16 minutes ago

USA's Aaron Jones on their stunning achievement to reach last eight of T20 World Cup after draw with Ireland

16 minutes ago

With its 7% dividend, should I be watching the Aviva share price?

16 minutes ago

Here's why car payments are so high right now

16 minutes ago

The Darktrace share price has been surging — and it could climb higher

16 minutes ago

House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke reveals the awkward feedback intimacy coordinator gave her while filming season two

16 minutes ago

Inside Buckingham Palace's £369million renovation: How 190miles of electrical cables and 40,000 floorboards in the East Wing were replaced in six-year refurbishment

16 minutes ago

Guessing game over which real-life star ITV cancel culture comedy starring Hugh Bonneville is about after Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat refuses to reveal who it is

16 minutes ago

24-hour CHEESE dispensers are launched in France for food lovers who crave a slice of camembert around the clock

16 minutes ago

Devastated family reveal how orphaned children are coping after BOTH of their parents died from cancer in just a week

16 minutes ago

Abbie Chatfield sizzles in a blue bikini as she puts on a loved-up display with boyfriend Adam Hyde

16 minutes ago

Lawn and order: Cheating landscape gardener jailed after charging a frail pensioner £42,000 for a piece of Astroturf

16 minutes ago

Drug-addled thug went out for a pizza after he beat his girlfriend and left her to die a long, slow, agonising death

16 minutes ago

Amid ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to contaminated salad, we ask the experts: why IS lettuce such a food poisoning risk?

19 minutes ago

SpaceX will attempt to ‘catch’ Starship rocket at next launch

19 minutes ago

MLB Power Rankings: Mariners open up baseball's biggest division lead, plus Yankees hold off Orioles at No. 1

19 minutes ago

Watch: Woman shows off over R10k Makro grocery haul for family of 3

19 minutes ago

Video: 90 Day Fiancé UK: Man, 21, from Dominican Republic, breaks down in tears as he pleads with his 'sugar mummy' British lover, 34, to give him $140 so he can buy rice and pay an 'electric' bill for his family

19 minutes ago

Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele all to have a shot on target BOOSTED to 4/1... ahead of France's Euro 2024 opener against Austria

19 minutes ago

Democrat-controlled Vermont Legislature attempts to override Republican governor's vetoes

19 minutes ago

Radu Dragusin, Romania’s defensive pillar at Euro 2024 - who Tottenham fans haven’t seen yet

19 minutes ago

Scientists reveal study on if you inherit Alzheimer’s from mother’s or father’s side

19 minutes ago

Black Deer festival review: Newcomers hold their own against heavyweight headliners

19 minutes ago

It's so easy to watch games backwards - Denmark's Hjulmand

19 minutes ago

Romania stun Ukraine with first Euro win in 24 years

19 minutes ago

US, South Korea, Japan to lock in security ties before US presidential inauguration

19 minutes ago

China says G-7 statement ‘full of arrogance, prejudice and lies’