21 killed as Brazilian state reels from worst cyclone disaster

Brasilia: At least 21 people were killed and thousands displaced from their homes in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state due to to torrential rain and winds caused by a cyclone, with more flooding expected.

According to local media, hundreds of people had to be rescued from their rooftops in Mucum as 85 per cent of the town was flooded, the BBC reported.

More than 300 mm of rain hit the state in less than 24 hours, triggering floods and landslides, officials said.

Calling the situation as the state’s worst-ever weather disaster, Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told reporters on Tuesday that 15 more bodies had been found in Mucum earlier in the day, bringing the death toll to 21.

“There are still people missing,” the BBC quoted Mucum Mayor Mateus Trojan as saying to the local media.

“The death toll might climb higher. The town of Mucum as we knew it no longer exists.”

Rescue workers have been using helicopters to reach areas cut off by flooding.

Meanwhile, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the federal government was ready to help.

In February, at least 40 people were killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. while last year some 100 persons died as torrential rain triggered landslides and torrents of mud near the city of Recife.

IANS