Boat smashes into bridge and capsizes amid catastrophic flooding in southern Brazil
Ongoing rain in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul caused a ferry boat to capsize after hitting a bridge on the swollen Taquari River on Thursday. (Video: Matheus Hinterholz via Storyful)
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — The death toll rose to 56 in southern Brazil Saturday with dozens still missing as historic floods continue to cause region-wide devastation.
Brazilian authorities say another 74 have been injured and 67 remain missing. Overall, the floods are affecting over 420,000 people in the Rio Grande do Sul state, with over 32,000 left homeless and hundreds of thousands without power, according to the latest update from civil authorities Saturday afternoon.
Heavy, torrential rains have plagued the Rio Grande do Sul region for the entire week. The town of Bento Goncalves recorded just over 21 inches of rain in the storm, while several other gauges in the area reported over 19 inches of rain.
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Aerial view of people walking through a flooded street at the Navegantes neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Carlos Fabal / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS FABAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Aerial view of people walking through a flooded street at the Navegantes neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Carlos Fabal / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS FABAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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View of a flooded street in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil on May 3, 2024. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday visited the country’s south where floods and mudslides caused by torrential rains have killed 29 people, with the toll expected to rise. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Photo by ANSELMO CUNHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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TOPSHOT – General view of houses affected by the flood of the Jacui river in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil on May 3, 2024. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday visited the country’s south where floods and mudslides caused by torrential rains have killed 29 people, with the toll expected to rise. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Photo by ANSELMO CUNHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Aerial view of the water level of the Guaiba lake, which reaches the streets nearby, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil on May 3, 2024. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday visited the country’s south where floods and Mudslides caused by torrential rains have killed 29 people, with the toll expected to rise. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Photo by ANSELMO CUNHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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View of a flooded street in the Historic Center of Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Photo by ANSELMO CUNHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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TOPSHOT – Homeless people are rescued in the Historic Center of Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Photo by ANSELMO CUNHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man walks through a flooded street in the Historic Center of Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Photo by ANSELMO CUNHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Aerial view of flooded streets at the Navegantes neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Carlos Fabal / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS FABAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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TOPSHOT – Aerial view of flooded streets at the Navegantes neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. The floods caused by the intense rains that hit southern Brazil left at least 56 dead and 67 missing, according to a new report on Saturday from Civil Defense. (Photo by Carlos Fabal / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS FABAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Santa Maria had 8.4 inches in one day, making it the wettest day on record there. That city received 18.5 inches in three days — corresponding to about 3 months of typical rain, according to Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology.
Flooding has covered several towns, shuttered over 2,300 schools and closed or blocked part of 68 highways, with many roads and bridges simply destroyed. The storm also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant, according to Reuters.
Rainfall estimates across southern Brazil between April 23 and May 1. (FOX Weather)
Along the swollen Taquari River, a large boat was being carried down the raging flood waters when it rammed into a submerged bridge and capsized, according to Storyful. There is no word if anyone was on board.
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In the state capital of Porto Alegre, where over 10 inches of rain fell, the Guaiba River sat at 6 feet above flood stage Saturday morning, causing widespread flooding. Photos from the area show downtown streets covered in shin-deep water.
A man walks through a flooded street in the Historic Center of Porto Alegre, Rio da Grande do State, Brazil on May 4, 2024. (Photo by Anselmo Cunha / AFP) (Getty Images)
City officials say three water treatment plants have failed due to flooding, and officials are urging residents to conserve water. The city’s airport in town has suspended all flights “due to high volume of rain.”
Meteorologists with Brazil’s NIM said El Niño is partially to blame for the wet weather pattern as the warming waters of the Pacific Ocean help block cold fronts and concentrate areas of instability over the Rio Grande do Sul area.
