An extratropical cyclone battering southern Brazil has caused extensive flooding, killing 42 people and displacing more than 10,000 as of Thursday, according to La Prensa Latina, a Spanish media outlet.
The southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has been hardest hit by the storm that began on Monday, with 41 deaths, while the other fatality was recorded in the neighboring region of Santa Catarina.
In Rio Grande do Sul, 10,551 people have been displaced in the 83 affected municipalities, where floods have entered homes and destroyed several bridges.
Debris caused by floods sits in a street covered in mud in the aftermath of a tropical cyclone on September 7, 2023 in Brazil. /CFP
The government on Thursday declared a state of calamity to deal with what is the largest natural disaster in the history of the state. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced the dispatch of rescuers and funds for municipalities affected by the cyclone.
Civil Defense has issued a new alert for storms, intense rain, floods, hail and strong wind throughout Rio Grande do Sul for Friday due a new cold front.
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