Dams strain as water, death toll keep rising in south Brazil
More than 350,000 people have suffered some form of property damage, according to authorities – Copyright AFP Anselmo Cunha
Carlos Fabal with Louis Genot in Rio de Janeiro
The death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by torrential storms in southern Brazil climbed to 39 on Friday, officials said, as they warned of worse to come.
As the rain kept beating down, rescuers in boats and planes searched for scores of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads.
Rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre with “unprecedented” flooding, authorities warned.
“Forget everything you’ve seen, it’s going to be much worse in the metropolitan region,” Governor Eduardo Leite said Friday as the streets of the state capital,
