(Sinimbu) The death toll from torrential rains in southern Brazil rose to 13 deaths on Thursday, with 21 people still missing, while President Lula is expected on the scene during the day.
The government of the state of Rio Grande do Sul declared Wednesday evening a “state of public calamity” in this region affected for a week by devastating storms and thunderstorms which caused floods and landslides.
The previous report, dating from Wednesday, reported ten deaths, but three new bodies have since been found, said Civil Defense, which also recorded 12 injured.
To date, the authorities have counted 44,640 victims in 134 towns in Rio Grande do Sul. More than 5,200 people had to leave their homes.
The situation is “critical” and “is only getting worse,” the governor of this state, Eduardo Leite, warned on Wednesday, while heavy rains are expected until Friday.
PHOTO DIEGO VARA, REUTERS
The town of Encantado, May 1, 2024
“We are facing the worst disaster in the history of our state,” he said.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced on X that he was going to visit disaster areas on Thursday to “personally verify the situation and the joint work of ministers with the state government.”
He is due to meet Mr. Leite in Santa Maria, one of the most affected cities.
“We lost everything, everything that was in our house,” Santa Cruz do Sul resident Adriana Salete Gas told the G1 news site.
The work of rescuers is very difficult. Many roads are inaccessible and water and electricity supplies are compromised for hundreds of thousands of people, according to local authorities.
Classes have been suspended until further notice in schools in Rio Grande do Sul, as well as football matches scheduled for this weekend.
In September, at least 31 people died after a devastating cyclone hit this state bordering Uruguay and Argentina.
Experts attribute extreme events, which are increasingly frequent in Brazil, largely to climate change, aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon.
Scientists estimate that current global temperatures are about 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than in the mid-19th century, leading to increased floods, droughts and heatwaves.