Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

Brazil flood victims loot stores, death toll at 97

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-27 14:19

NAVEGANTES, Brazil -- Hungry flood survivors looted supermarkets and emergency crews tried to get aid to nearly 80,000 people driven from their homes Wednesday, as rain-spawned mudslides and overflowing rivers killed at least 97 people and isolated cities in southern Brazil.

A general view shows a flooded Itajai city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina November 26, 2008. Brazil sent hundreds of state and federal police officers to quell looting by homeless and hungry landslide victims facing the threat of disease after heavy flooding that authorities say killed more than 100 people and displaced 54,000. [Agencies]

Amid mounting misery in the disaster zone, 20 people were arrested for ransacking a supermarket in the hard-hit city of Itajai, where many streets were still submerged following torrential weekend rains.

Besides food, the looters tried to cart away beer, plasma TVs and a refrigerator, state police inspector Carlos Quilante said in a statement.

Nearly 100,000 people remained cut off by flooding in eight cities in Santa Catarina state, civil defense officials said in a statement.

Helicopters, some provided by the government, others donated by businesses, rescued 1,100 people, authorities said.

"The cities in the south still cannot be reached, it's going to take some time," Army Lt. Col. Jose Henrique Ruffo told Globo TV.

The weekend downpours dumped as much water on the area as it usually receives in months, cutting residents off from electricity, drinking water and food. The water shortage was so extreme that civil defense officials advised people to drink swimming pool water after boiling it for 10 minutes.

State Gov. Luiz Henrique da Silveira flew with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over areas devastated by floodwaters, and said Silva was "shocked when he saw the Dantesque spectacle below him."

"This is the worst environmental calamity we have ever faced," Silva told reporters after the fly over.

Civil defense officials said mudslides and floods killed at least 97 people, down from the 99 reported earlier after two could not be confirmed. As many as 30 were missing, and more than 78,000 people were driven from their homes.

Itajai civil defense worker Gilvan Muniz told the Agencia Estado news service that residents of the flooded riverside city were seeing much of the damage for the first time as floodwater receded on Wednesday.

"We endured two moments of horror: when we saw the water rise and then when it receded and we saw the destruction," he said.

   Previous page 1 2 Next Page  

   Previous page 1 2 Next Page