Brazil floods death toll rises to 83
The death toll from a series of catastrophic floods in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 83, CNN reported on Monday, citing the state’s civil defense unit.
Authorities are also investigating another four deaths to determine if they were related to the storms.
A further 276 people are reportedly injured and at least 111 people are missing, while at least 121,000 people have been displaced, according to the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul.
The disaster has affected more than 850,000 people in 345 municipalities, destroying homes, roads and bridges.
Images show muddy brown waters rising as high as rooftops in some areas, while rescue teams were out with inflatable rafts, taking people and pets on board.
Rio Grande do Sul has been increasingly hit by extreme weather events in recent years, and at least 54 people died in the state in September after it endured a sub-tropical cyclone.
The climate crisis, caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels, is supercharging extreme weather around the world, making many events more intense and more frequent.