At least 11 dead, 20 missing after cyclone strikes southern Brazil

At least 11 people have been killed and another 20 remain missing in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul after an extra-tropical cyclone hit the region on Friday, according to the state’s authorities.

Authorities have issued warnings for a risk of landslides in several regions. They have conducted several thousand rescue operations in the past two days.

The state’s Civil Defense Department said on Saturday, 40 municipalities have been impacted by landslides, floods and power outages.

The storm caused torrential rains, prompting helicopter searches and rescue for victims wading in flooded neighborhoods.

A total of 2,330 people have been evacuated, 602 displaced, and over half a million people have been left without electricity.

The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, said that their main priority is to find the missing and save people who may still be stranded by the floods.

“Our main objective at this first moment is to protect and save human lives. We are rescuing people who are stranded, locating missing people and giving all the support to the families,” he said.

State Governor said authorities have carried out 2,400 rescues in the last two days.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has promised a “rapid response” in the affected areas and “all the support” to those hit by the cyclone.

The passage of the cyclone along the coast of this border region with Argentina and Uruguay has left a trail of destruction, causing landslides, floods, and power outages in thousands of homes and damaging several bridges, which has been hindering the work of rescue teams.

ME