A strong explosion in a gas station left at least two dead on Saturday May 4 in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, hit by unprecedented flooding, noted a journalist from theAFP present at the time of the explosion. The incident occurred while emergency vehicles were refueling at the flooded gas station, according to initial reports.
Torrential rains have already left at least 57 dead and 67 missing in southern Brazil. The authorities’ latest count also lists 74 injured and 24,600 people who had to leave their homes, more than 8,200 of whom are now housed in facilities such as sports or cultural centers.
Considerable damage
The task of rescuers is formidable, with entire towns practically cut off from the world, made inaccessible by floods. Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity.
The material damage is considerable. On Friday, streets in the historic center of the city were in turn invaded by water due to the exceptional flood of the Guaiba, an emblematic river of the Brazilian South, noted theAFP. The authorities estimate that the level of the Guaiba could reach 5 meters in the coming hours, while its historical record, dating from 1941, is 4.71 m.
“Despite the great containment effort, the dam which holds back the Gravatai river […] started to overflow again. Communities must leave the area”, Porto Alegre mayor Sebastiao Melo wrote on X, in reference to another river that crosses the city.In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, at least four dams “are in an emergency situation, with a risk of rupture”, alerted local authorities. Porte Alegre International Airport has suspended its activities for an indefinite period.
The water supply is also compromised in many localities, as is access to the internet or mobile telephone networks. And the weather forecast is worrying, with rains of “extreme severity” which are expected to persist until Sunday, according to Civil Defense. According to experts, these extreme weather phenomena have increased in frequency and intensity with global warming.
