Emergency in Brazil: cyclone leaves at least 22 dead in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina

The number of deaths from the passage of an extratropical cyclone that has been advancing since Monday through the southern region of Brazil it increased to 22 in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, official sources reported on Tuesday.

Rio Grande do Sulbordering Argentina and Uruguay, is the region hardest hit by the cyclonewith a preliminary balance of 21 deaths and around 4,000 evacueesas announced by the regional governor, Eduardo Leite, at a press conference.

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This is already the worst tragedy due to an extreme weather event in Rio Grande do Sulwhere until now the record of extratropical cyclones was unusual.

The other fatality was reported in the neighboring state of St. Catarinawhere a man lost his life when a tree fell on the vehicle in which he was traveling.

Around 60 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul have suffered damage as a result of strong gusts of wind and the large volume of rainfall, which has isolated entire communities as a result of flooding and rising rivers.

According to Civil Defense, 15 of the 21 reported deaths in Rio Grande do Sul occurred in Muçumwhere the rains have submerged a good part of the municipality under water and many residents have been forced to take refuge on the roofs of their houses.

Leite pointed out that The death toll may rise in the next few hours. because only today the water level has begun to drop, making it possible for rescue services to inspect the most affected areas.

“When the water recedes, we will see the damage” in all its magnitudeaffirmed the governor, who also expressed his concern about the weather forecasts, which anticipate more precipitation during the next weekend.

He also stressed that The priority now is to “rescue” the families that have been left incommunicadofor which hundreds of Civil Defense personnel, the Fire Department, the Armed Forces and groups of volunteers are involved.

This is the fourth extratropical cyclone to hit Rio Grande do Sul since last June.

That month, the passing of another cyclone caused the death of 16 people and some 15,000 evacuees. In July, the phenomenon repeated itself, leaving one dead, twenty injured and around one million people without electricity. A third passed in August without major damage being reported.

The Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvaexpressed his solidarity with the affected families on Tuesday and promised to “do everything possible to help the population” to overcome this moment.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.