At least 13 people have died and three others are missing after a cyclone struck between Thursday and Friday in southern Brazil, which also claimed thousands of victims, authorities said on Sunday.
Uninterrupted rains and strong winds caused damage in dozens of municipalities in the state of Rio Grande du Sud, including its capital Porto Alegre.
“The number of dead rises to 13, including a four-month-old baby, after the discovery of two bodies in the city of Caraa, located in one of the most affected regions”, announced on Twitter the civil protection of this state bordering Uruguay and Argentina.
“Research is continuing,” she added.
On the other hand, the number of missing persons has been revised downwards, from 20 on Saturday to three, all in the town of 8,000 inhabitants of Caraa, located on the coast, 90 km from Porto Alegre.
Strong winds swept the coastline, including the town of Tramandai, where winds of up to 101.9 km / h were recorded, according to official figures.
Local media broadcast images of a car swept away by strong winds in a cemetery.
“The water rose up to our waists inside the house. Thank goodness the firefighters came quickly and put us in canoes. It felt like a nightmare,” said a resident of the city of Sao Leopoldo to the Estadao newspaper which did not give his identity.
Other people were evacuated by helicopter.
Nearly 5,000 residents had their homes damaged, and on Sunday, around 84,000 people were still without electricity. About 800 were evacuated preemptively.
State Governor Eduardo Leite announced on Saturday, after a reconnaissance by helicopter of the most affected areas, that a four-month-old baby had died due to lack of timely medical treatment in Sao Sebastiao do Cai, hit by the cyclone.
“Our main objective at this stage is to protect and save human lives. To rescue isolated people, locate missing persons and provide assistance to families,” Mr Leite said.
In Sao Leopoldo, a city of 240,000 inhabitants located half an hour from Porto Alegre, 246 mm of rain fell in 18 hours, “a level never seen in the history” of this city of 240,000 inhabitants, underlined the mayor of Porto Alegre Ary Jose Vanazzi.
In Caraa, where the situation remains worrying, a center has been opened to accommodate hundreds of victims.
According to Mr. Leite, the state firefighters have already come to the aid of 2,400 people in the areas affected by the cyclone.
Sunday, the streets of the towns of Novo Hamburgo, Lindolfo Collor and Sao Leopoldo were still flooded, homes were destroyed and vehicles were still partially covered by the waves.
When the rain stopped, soldiers were able to carry out rescue operations in Novo Hamburgo.
However, further rains and cold temperatures are expected in the middle of next week, which could complicate the situation for people affected by the cyclone.
Brazil has been hit in recent years by deadly weather, whose links to climate change are not ruled out by experts.
The effects are all the more devastating in a context of uncontrolled urbanization.
At least 65 people died in February in floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in the state of Sao Paulo (southeast).
About 9.5 million of Brazil’s 215 million people live in areas at risk of flooding or landslides.
06/19/2023 08:31:46 – Novo Hamburgo (Brésil) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP