Brazil State’s Worst-Ever Weather Catastrophe: 145 Dead, 132 Missing

Heavy rains drenched southern Brazil on Sunday, killing 145 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Residents of Rio Grande do Sul were braced for further misery from the latest rains, which came after two weeks of downpours caused rivers to break their banks, engulfing towns and parts of the regional capital.

More than two million people have been affected by the flood, which experts link to climate change exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

“The levels of practically all the major rivers in the state are tending to rise”, state authorities claimed.

According to the National Center for Monitoring and Warning for Natural Disasters (Cemaden), the probability of further flooding is very high in the majority of the state’s regions.

“A total of 132 people have been reported missing and 619,000 have been forced from their homes”, civil defence officials stated.

The latest threat comes as rescue operations are still underway, with approximately 130 people missing and more than 619,000 forced to evacuate their homes.

Sofas and other belongings were seen drifting in muddy waters in Porto Alegre’s flooded old center.

Further north, in the village of Sao Leopoldo, a queue of cars parked along the road was partly flooded. Meanwhile, individuals rowed boats down flooded streets.

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