Floods caused by torrential rains in Bahia (northeastern Brazil) have claimed the lives of two more people, bringing to 63.000 the death toll since early November in the state, where some XNUMX locals have been forced to flee their homes. beginning yesterday Monday.
"Unfortunately, we are experiencing the greatest catastrophe in the history of Bahia," said Hui Costa, the governor of the state of 15 million people, who has been overseeing a joint operation in the affected areas since Saturday with the federal government and forces contributing to other states. The two new deaths were reported in the city of Itabuna.
A 21-year-old man was swept away by a torrent, a 33-year-old woman was killed when a landslide occurred, according to the latest information from the local government yesterday afternoon. "The water has started to recede at the source of the Casoeira River and, although at a slow pace, we expect the situation to improve in the coming days," said Governor Costa.
Houses are under water and roads have been transformed into rivers in dozens of communities in the southern part of the state, which have been hit by heavy rains since Thursday, breaking at least two dams and flooding rivers over the weekend.
In Itapetsinga, AFP aerial photographs show three men rowing with their hands on a mattress on a street where water reaches the windows of houses around them.
The number of displaced people has almost doubled since Sunday, with 62.796 people forced to flee their homes, according to the Bahia Civil Protection. The number of people injured in various accidents due to heavy rainfall since November has reached 358, according to the same source. In total, the victims are estimated to be 471.009.
At least 116 communities, 100 of which have been declared state of emergency, have been affected by the floods. "There is a correlation" between the intensity of the rainfall and the La Niιαa phenomenon, said Esteel Sias, a meteorologist at MetSul. In some municipalities, the rainfall exceeded the level usually recorded throughout December - especially in Salvador, the capital of Bahia, where on Friday 58 mm of precipitation was recorded, five times the average of December, according to the Civil Protection.
Authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the army. "
Source: RES-EAP