Death toll from deadly Brazil storms rises to 107

INA-  sources


The death toll from over 10 days of deadly storms in south Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state has climbed to 107, local authorities confirmed Thursday after seven more deaths were registered.

Since the storms began on April 29, dumping record amounts of rain and sparking widespread flooding, Rio Grande do Sul has seen dramatic scenes of survivors rescued from inundated homes or fleeing flooded neighborhoods.

According to the Civil Defense agency's latest report, some 1,476,170 people have been affected by the natural disaster and 136 people remain missing.

The torrential downpours have left 80 percent of the state, a top agricultural producer bordering on Argentina and Uruguay, in a state of emergency, including the capital Porto Alegre, where the Guaiba River burst its banks and flooded surrounding areas.

Rescue efforts were complicated Thursday by more rain, though the level of the Guaiba River appears to be dropping.

Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite has called it the worst tragedy in the history of the state.

Source: Xinhua