At least 29 people have died in the massive floods that have been plaguing southern Brazil these days. Another 60 people are missing. The local authorities informed about it. Rio Grande do Sul state governor Eduardo Leite said the death toll would continue to rise. According to the Brazilian media, one of the overloaded dams has burst and the other four are in danger of collapsing.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited the affected area to reassure local residents that they would receive federal aid, according to AFP. The army immediately sends 600 soldiers. Governor Leite stated that the southernmost Brazilian state on the border with Argentina and Uruguay is in particular need of technology, mainly airplanes and helicopters.
“It is with the deepest sadness that I am forced to say that the number of victims will increase,” said Leite, who described the situation as a disaster of unprecedented proportions. So far, 10,000 people have had to leave their homes.
Due to the high water, the dam at the hydroelectric power plant near the town of Bento Goncalves burst and the residents of the nearby area were evacuated. High river levels also threaten four other dams in the area.
Brazil’s National Meteorological Institute attributes the increased intensity and frequency of rainfall to the influence of the El Niño climate phenomenon, whose current phase began in mid-2023 and may continue this month. The phenomenon temporarily warms parts of the Pacific Ocean and affects weather around the world.
