Brazil Motorway Bridge Buckles and Plunges into a River (Video)
The death toll from floods and mudslides caused by heavy storms in southern Brazil has risen to 39, officials reported on Friday, with warnings of further challenges ahead.
In a video shared online, a motorway bridge in Santa Maria, southern Brazil, is seen collapsing under high floodwaters on Tuesday.
One man narrowly avoids falling into the water as he steps back just in time.
As the rain persisted on Friday, rescue teams in boats and aircraft searched for many missing individuals amid the wreckage of collapsed homes, bridges, and roads.
The rising water levels in Rio Grande do Sul state were straining dams and threatening the city of Porto Alegre with unprecedented flooding, authorities cautioned.
Residents of Lake Guaiba's coastal islands walked through floodwaters after being rescued by the Brazilian army. The Guiaba river's level in the state was estimated to have risen between 4.2 to 4.6 meters.
"Forget everything you’ve seen, it’s going to be much worse in the metropolitan region," Governor Eduardo Leite said, as flooding began in the state capital, home to about 1.5 million people, after heavy rains in the area.
The state's civil defence department stated that at least 265 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul had suffered storm damage since Monday, with 74 people injured and over 24,000 displaced, a third of whom were in shelters.
At least 68 people were reported missing, and over 350,000 have faced some form of property damage.
An "emergency situation presenting a risk of collapse" was reported at four dams in the state.
The Guiaba river's level was estimated to have risen significantly, although it couldn't be precisely measured as the gauges had washed away, according to Porto Alegre's mayor.
Authorities were rushing to bolster flood protections as water levels continued to rise.
Elsewhere in the state, several cities and towns were entirely isolated from the outside world, described by Governor Leite as "the worst disaster in the history" of Rio Grande do Sul.
Many communities lacked access to drinking water, telephone, or internet services, and tens of thousands were without electricity.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region, promising ample resources in response to the disaster, which he attributed to climate change.
The central government deployed aircraft, boats, and over 600 soldiers to aid in clearing roads, distributing essentials, and setting up shelters. School classes across the state were suspended.
"I feel very sorry for all those who live here... I feel pain in my heart," said Maria Luiza, a resident of Sao Sebastiao do Caí, about 40 miles from Porto Alegre.
In Capela de Santana, north of the state capital, Raul Metzel shared how his neighbors had to leave their livestock behind, uncertain about the animals' fate due to rising water levels.
Climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino explained that the severe storms were a result of global warming and the El Nino weather phenomenon, creating a disastrous combination.
Brazil has seen a series of extreme weather events recently, including a cyclone in September that claimed numerous lives. Aquino noted that the region's geography made it susceptible to clashes between tropical and polar air masses, which were intensified by climate change.
The flooding in the state over the past two years has reached a level of recurrence not seen in 10,000 years, according to Aquino, who heads the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul's geography department.
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