Published: 10:58, May 12, 2024
Death toll from south Brazil storms rises to 136
By Xinhua
Vehicles are partially submerged on a street flooded by heavy rains in Sao Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 11, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

SAO PAULO - The death toll from the storms and floods in south Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state has climbed to 136, with 125 people still missing and 756 more injured, the state's civil defense agency said Saturday.

ALSO READ: Brazil floods leave 150,000 homeless, scores dead or missing

Since the rains began on April 29, the state has so far recorded 339,925 people displaced, 71,398 in shelters and more than 2 million affected in 444 of the 497 municipalities.

Rescue efforts and climatological alerts for new rainfall continue in flooded areas, according to the agency.

ALSO READ: Japan weather bureau says 90% chance of El Nino ending by May

It rained again in Porto Alegre, the state capital, on Saturday, halting the decline in the level of the Guaiba River.

READ MORE: Brazil floods: Lula seeks state of emergency after 85 dead

The river has flooded and devastated much of the city and caused the Salgado Filho International Airport to suspend operation.

As of Thursday, federal agencies had sent nearly 2,000 tons of donations to Rio Grande do Sul.