Extratropical cyclone leaves dead and missing in southern Brazil

At least 8 people died and another 19 are missing as a result of a extratropical cyclone which in recent days has wreaked serious havoc in the south of BrazilOfficial sources reported this Saturday.

Some 3,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes in around 40 municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where most of the damage has been reported, according to Civil Defense.

The passage of the cyclone along the coast of this border region with Argentina and Uruguay has left a trail of destruction, causing landslides, floods and the collapse of some bridges, which is making the work of rescue teams difficult.

It is also being investigated whether the sinking of a fishing boat with eight crew members on board that occurred Friday night in the neighboring state of Santa Catarina is related to the intense storm that is going through the southern region of Brazil.

The Navy began searches for those eight crew members, without confirming any deaths so far.

One of the most affected towns is Caraá, where so far one death and 15 missing have been reported, according to the governor of Rio do Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, in an appearance before the media.

Leite pointed out that the priority at this time is “rescue people who have been left isolated” in flooded areas and locate the missing.

“Our first efforts are human lives”, he said from Sao Leopoldo, another of the cities hit by the cyclone, in the company of the ministers Paulo Pimenta, from the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency, and Antônio Waldez Góes, from Integration and Regional Development.

Both ministers flew over the regions hardest hit by the storm and ratified the commitment of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to provide “all the support” and “give a quick response” to the affected municipalities.

Waldez Góes stated that they will first give “humanitarian aid” and then they will focus on the release of resources to “rebuild” the damage caused by the cyclone.

“Mobilization needs to be permanent”said the minister, who also warned about the high number of people who still live in areas considered at risk from possible extreme weather events.

Source: EFE