Premier League legend Diego Costa rescues 100 stranded people as floods strike Brazil
Former Chelsea star Diego Costa has helped to rescue 100 people stranded by devastating floods in Brazil, where he now plays.
Costa won two Premier League titles with Chelsea before returning to Atletico Madrid where he won La Liga. He now plays in Brazil for Gremio, who he joined from Botafogo earlier this year.
The country has been hit by devastating floods this week, which have left 83 people dead, 276 injured and a further 111 missing. The region of the Rio Grande do Sul is the worst affected, with the region’s Civil Defence estimating at least 121,000 people had been displaced.
More than half of the 497 cities in the state have been affected by the storms, with roads and bridges destroyed. The storms have also caused the collapse of a hydroelectric dam near the city of Bento Goncalves, with a second dam at risk of failing.
According to Cadena SER, Costa was returning home from training when he came across a group of people from Eldorado do Sul who asked for help. The veteran striker immediately asked how he could assist.
The group told him of a number of people who had been cut off by the floods and needed rescue. The 35-year-old did not hesitate and made his jet ski available, as well as mobilising four friends who brought motorcycles to aid the rescue efforts.
In total they are estimated to have saved the lives of 100 people, who had been left in difficulty by the storms. Costa was hailed for jumping into action by those he helped to save.
Costa used his truck and a jet ski to help rescue people
One witness said: “I’m 56 years old and I travel with Geral (the Grêmio fan club) for everything. What Diego did today, I had never seen before. He arrived a few months ago, left his truck in the water and took his jet ski and those of his friends.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region for a second time on Sunday, along with defence minister José Múcio and finance minister Fernando Haddad. The governor of the Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, paid tribute to those who have helped the victims.
“The strength of people brings us hope. There are more than 350 thousand lives saved to date. A total mobilisation of security forces and volunteers in all cities. I really want to thank all Brazilians for their generosity towards us. We will recover our future and our Rio Grande do Sul,” he said in a statement.
“Considering that the floods reached very populated regions and that we have a large concentration of people in shelters, I asked the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to send reinforcements from the National Force.
“The State government mobilises its entire workforce, including calling in employees who were on vacation and paying overtime. We have a strong team on the field, but it is important to reinforce it even more and we ask for the support of 400 members of the National Force and 120 vehicles.”
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