More dead and missing after torrential rains in Brazil

More and more people are reported dead – and others are missing – as torrential rains have caused massive floods and landslides in southern Brazil. There are alarms about a crisis situation at several dams.

The death toll has reached 90, reports O Globo newspaper. In addition to that, more than 130 people are missing, which is also a rising number.

More than 1.3 million residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul have been affected in some way and more than 155,000 have had to flee their homes, according to an update from Brazil’s Civil Defense.

Storms have ravaged the region since the middle of last week, causing major power outages and water supply problems. In Brazilian media, the bad weather is described as historic in its scope. Satellite images show how the Jacuí River has spread over large areas of land as it approaches the state capital of Porto Alegre, reports the newspaper Estadão.

Forecasts suggest it is moving towards its southern parts, followed by warnings of “extreme” weather-related danger in the coming days.

Six dams in the state are at risk of bursting at any time, writes Agência Brasil. Warnings have been issued for a total of 18 dams.

In neighboring Uruguay, authorities have issued weather warnings for almost the entire country as the storm heads south.