More than 11,000 people were forced to leave their homes and 4,200 had to be taken care of by the authorities due to flooding in 19 municipalities in the Brazilian state of Bahia (northeast), local authorities said.
Read alsoBrazil heavily hit by the Covid ends the year in decline
The heavy rains that have fallen on the region since the beginning of November have already killed 17 people, including a last victim on Thursday, according to a report from the Civil Protection of Bahia. In total, some 66 municipalities find themselves in an emergency situation due to these bad weather, according to this source.
The number of evacuees reached 11,260 and the number of those directly supported by the authorities reached 4,185, according to figures released Friday evening by Civil Protection. The federal and state governments of Bahia on Saturday launched an operation to come to the aid of residents stranded in the flooded areas.
Read alsoBrazil: Jair Bolsonaro’s controversial allowance for the poor
In Salvador, the state capital, rains reached some 250 mm on Friday since the start of the month, five times the average for the whole of December.