Death toll from rains in southern Brazil climbs to 57

More than 67,000 people are affected by heavy rains and flooding, according to officials in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul.

Overpowering floods and mudslides caused by torrential rains are continuing to sweep southern Brazil, killing at least 57 people and forcing tens of thousands out of their homes, the government said.

As well as raising the death toll on Saturday, the country’s civil defence agency said rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre.

Triggered by storms that began on Monday, the flooding is only expected to get worse, local authorities said, as rescuers scoured the ruins of washed-out homes, bridges, and roads for missing people.

Rio Grande do Sul's civil defense authority said 74 people were still missing and more than 69,000 had been displaced as storms in the last few days have affected nearly two thirds of the 497 cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina.

In Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, a volunteer team of off-road drivers assists in rescue efforts amid the floods on Saturday. With neighbourhoods submerged, authorities coordinate evacuations while rescue teams utilise four-wheel-drive vehicles and jet skis to navigate the waist-high waters, searching for those stranded.(AFP)

The local authority said it is now investigating whether another seven deaths were related to the storms, after earlier in the day it had reported a total of more than 67 deaths.

Floods destroyed roads and bridges in several regions of the state. The storm also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant. A second dam in the city of Bento Goncalves is also at risk of collapsing, authorities said.

In Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, the Guaiba lake broke its banks, flooding streets.

A firefighter rescues a young girl from a submerged area affected by the relentless rains in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The rapidly rising water levels in Rio Grande do Sul state are putting pressure on dams and posing a significant threat to Porto Alegre, a city with a population of 1.4 million.(AP)

Porto Alegre's international airport has suspended all flights for an indefinite period.

State Governor Eduardo Leite told reporters on Saturday evening that Rio Grande do Sul would need a "Marshall Plan" to recover from the storms and its consequences, referring to a plan for Europe's economic recovery after World War Two.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had visited Rio Grande do Sul on Thursday, will travel back to the state on Sunday to follow the rescue efforts, his chief of communication Paulo Pimenta said on Saturday.

Lula said on X that his government is in constant contact with state and cities' authorities to support the region with whatever they need.

People evacuate a flooded area after heavy rain in Sao Sebastiao do Cai, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

Rains are expected in the northern and northeastern regions of the state until Sunday, but the volume of precipitation has been declining, and should be well below the peak seen earlier in the week, according to the state meteorology authority.

Still, "rivers water levels should stay high for some days", Leite said earlier on Saturday.

Rio Grande do Sul is at a geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, which has created a weather pattern with periods of intense rains and others of drought.

Local scientists believe the pattern has been intensifying due to climate change.