RIO GRANDE DO SUL, Brazil: Torrential rain and winds from an extratropical cyclone have left at least 21 dead in southern Brazil, officials said, warning that more flooding could come.
The latest in a series of weather disasters to hit Brazil is the deadliest ever in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Governor Eduardo Leite said at a news conference.
“We were deeply saddened to receive the news that as the water recedes… 15 more bodies have been found in Mucum town, bringing the death toll to 21,” he said.
More than 3,700 people were also forced from their homes as storms that began Monday dumped hail and more than 300 millimeters of rain (nearly 12 inches) on the state in less than 24 hours and triggered flooding and landslides, officials said.
In Mucum, a small town of 5,000 people, hundreds had to be rescued from rooftops as the Taquari River flooded more than 85 percent of the town, local news site GZH reported.
“People are still missing. The death toll may rise even higher,” Mayor Mateus Trojan told Radio Gaucha.
“The city of Mucum as we knew it no longer exists.
Rescuers were using helicopters to reach isolated areas cut off by floods.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent a message of solidarity with those affected, saying the federal government was “ready to help”.
The victims included a man electrocuted in the town of Passo Fundo and a couple whose car was swept away by the river as they tried to cross a bridge in the town of Ibiraiaras.
In total, the storms hit more than 60 cities and affected more than 50,000 people, authorities said.
Neighboring Santa Catarina state also reported one death, according to news website G1.
Authorities are issuing a flood alert as further rain is predicted to begin on Thursday.
It is the most recent in a string of tragic weather-related incidents to affect Brazil, which scientists believe will undoubtedly be made worse by climate change.
According to officials, unchecked urbanisation and haphazardly constructed homes on hillsides further increase the fatality rate of such calamities.
Of the 203 million people living in Brazil, an estimated 9.5 million reside in locations with a high risk of flooding or landslides.
In June, another cyclone in Rio Grande do Sul left 13 dead and drove thousands from their homes.
And in February, 65 people died in landslides caused by record flooding in the southeastern resort of Sao Sebastiao on the coast of Sao Paulo state.
