Death toll from southern Brazil floods rises to 78, 103 still missing
- Fast-rising water levels in Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and threatening the economically important Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million
- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday to discuss rescue and reconstruction works with local authorities
The death toll from heavy rains that have caused flooding in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 78, local authorities said on Sunday, with tens of thousands of people displaced.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday, along with most members of his cabinet, to discuss rescue and reconstruction works with local authorities.
“Bureaucracy will not stand in our way, stopping us from recovering the state’s greatness,” Lula said at a press conference.
“It is a war scenario, and will need post-war measures,” state governor Eduardo Leite added.
Volunteers using boats, jet skis - and even swimming - have helped in rescue efforts. In the state capital Porto Alegre, Fabiano Saldanha said he and three friends have used jet skis to save about 50 people from flood waters since Friday in islands that are part of the city.
“The only thing we hear when we enter a street is ‘help,’ ‘help’,” Saldanha said.
