Torrential rain in north-eastern Brazil has left at least 79 people dead and dozens others are still missing, civil defence officials said on Sunday, as the rescuers capitalised on a lull in downpours to search for survivors.
“As of 6:00 pm (2100 GMT) this Sunday, the number of people killed as a result of the rains has reached 79,” the civil defence authority of Pernambuco state, where the affected communities of Recife and Olinda are located, said in a statement.
The disaster is the latest series of floods and deadly landslides which have been triggered by the extreme weather in Brazil. The number of the dead has increased over the weekend, as the heavy rain caused rivers to overflow, and torrents of mud swept away everything in their path.
The latest statement for the civil defence did not give an update on the number of people missing, though the agency had earlier reported that 56 people are missing and nearly 4, 000 people lost their homes.
“We still don’t have an exact number, but there are still reports of victims…who have not been found. The search will continue until we can identify all the missing people,” Pernambuco Governor Paulo Camara said during a press conference.
Authorities warned that rain was forecast to continue on Monday, but in the meantime will the heavy rain had subsided, 1200 personnel resumed their work in looking for missing people, state officials said.
Minister of Regional Development Daniel Ferreira urged caution in a press conference earlier on Sunday in Recife, the capital of hard-hit north-eastern Pernambuco state. “Although it has stopped raining now, we are forecasting heavy rains for the next few days. So, the first thing is to maintain self-protection measures,” he said.
Source: Eyewitness News, TRT World, Channel News Asia, image from TRT World: AFP