PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil – The death toll rose to 56 in southern Brazil on Saturday, with dozens still missing as historic floods continue to wreak havoc across the region.
According to Brazilian authorities, another 74 were injured and 67 remain missing. In total, over 420,000 people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have been affected by the floods, over 32,000 are homeless and hundreds of thousands are without electricity, according to the latest update from civil authorities on Saturday afternoon.
Heavy, torrential rains have hit the Rio Grande do Sul region throughout the week. The town of Bento Goncalves recorded just over 21 inches of rain during the storm, while several other gauges in the area reported over 19 inches of rain.
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Santa Maria had 8.4 inches in one day, making it the rainiest day on record. That city received 18.5 inches of rain in three days, equivalent to about three months of typical rain, according to Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology.
Floods have engulfed several cities, closed over 2,300 schools, and closed or blocked portions of 68 highways, with many roads and bridges simply destroyed. According to Reuters, the storm also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant.
Along the swollen Taquari River, a large boat was being carried down by the raging waters when it rammed into a flooded bridge and capsized, according to Storyful. There is no information whether anyone was on board.
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In the state capital Porto Alegre, where more than 25 centimeters of rain fell, the Guaiba River was 1.80 meters above flood level on Saturday morning, causing widespread flooding. Photos from the area show downtown streets covered in shin-deep water.
City officials say three water treatment plants are down due to flooding and officials are urging residents to conserve water. The city’s airport has suspended all flights “due to the heavy amount of rain.”
Meteorologists from Brazil’s NIM said El Niño was partly responsible for the wet weather pattern, as the warming waters of the Pacific Ocean helped block cold fronts and concentrate areas of instability over the Rio Grande do Sul area.
Original source of the article: Watch: Boat crashes into bridge and capsizes as death toll rises in catastrophic floods in southern Brazil