World
18 killed as deadly flooding hits Brazil, displaces thousands
72 cities in Brazilian state Bahia has declared emergency amid torrential downpours and flooding.
Brasília: At least 18 people have been killed while more than 280 sustained injuries in the northeast region of Brazil, following the deadly flooding.
Officials on Sunday said that the death toll from flash floods in northeastern Brazil has risen to 18 since November.
A total of 72 cities in Brazilian state Bahia has declared emergency due to torrential downpours and flooding.
Dozens of cities were also flooded in the state of Bahia, while more than 430,000 people have been affected in the last week, said local civil protection agency Sudec.
Reportedly, at least 16,000 people lost their homes and over 19,000 others were evacuated.
Meanwhile, country’s meteorological and natural disaster monitoring agencies issued a warning that there is a risk of additional floods and landslides in Bahia, with the possibility of rainfall continuing until at least Tuesday.
In the state capital of Salvador, weather officials said December rainfall has been six times greater than the average.
As per authorities, two dams gave way in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, swamping already swollen local rivers.
The Igua dam, on the Verruga River near the city of Vitoria da Conquista in southern Bahia, collapsed on Saturday night, forcing authorities to evacuate residents, mainly in the town of Itambe.
There were, however, no reports of deaths or injuries caused by the dam failures, though bridges and roads were damaged.