At least 20 dead in flooding in northeast Brazil

Recife, Brazil, Dec 27 (EFE).- Floods from heavy rain that has hit the northeast of Brazil since the end of November have left at least 20 people dead and 300 injured, in addition to more than 35,000 displaced in the state of Bahia alone, regional authorities reported Monday.

The government of Bahia, with data from the local Superintendence of Civil Defense and Protection, indicated that more than 35,000 people have lost their homes or have been forced to move from their places of origin and seek refuge in temporary accommodation.

The most affected city has been Ilheus, on the southern coast of Bahia, home to most of the 430,869 people who have been affected, not only by the destruction of homes and businesses, but also by their isolation, unable to move or receive food and medicine.

In Bahia, 72 municipalities declared themselves in a state of emergency due to the rains, which during extremely hot summer days usually appear at the end of the afternoon with electrical storms. Despite being fast and fleeting, their intensity and force cause greater damage than those of the winter.

Of the 72 in a state of emergency, 58 are also in a “crisis situation” due to supply and access difficulties.

In the neighboring state of Pernambuco, the most affected city is Petrolina.

The federal government and local authorities have had to use helicopters and boats to rescue people, including a 102-year-old woman in the municipality of Itabauna, Bahia.

The latest three fatalities have been registered in recent hours: a 60-year-old man who drowned on Sunday; a 33-year-old woman whose house collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, and a missing 21-year-old whose body was found Monday on a riverbank. EFE

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