At least six people have died and more than a dozen are missing after storms caused flooding in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.
Helicopters fly over the region in search of people who were trapped.
In some areas, flooding is so severe that helicopters have been unable to land and have had to hoist residents to safety.
The state governor asked the federal government for help.
“President Lula, please immediately send all possible air support to RS. [Rio Grande do Sul]. We need to rescue hundreds of people in dozens of municipalities that are in an emergency situation due to the intense rains that have already fallen and will continue to fall in the coming days”, Governor Eduardo Leite wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responded, saying that the federal government would “join the efforts of the state government and municipalities to overcome this difficult moment, which is the result of climate change affecting the planet.”
According to authorities, six people were killed. Two people died when the car they were traveling in was swept away by floods in the small town of Paverama. Another died in a landslide in Salvador do Sul.
Eighteen people are still missing. The mayor of Sinimbu told the G1 news website that her city is experiencing “a nightmare”.
In Candelária, residents took to their roofs as their homes filled with water.
Bridges collapsed and more than 20 streets were impassable, making it difficult for emergency services to access the affected areas.
Forecasters predicted more rain would fall in the region as a cold front moved over it.
Last year, more than 30 people died in a cyclone in Rio Grande do Sul.
The Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology attributed the increase in the intensity and frequency of rain to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
To read: What is El Niño and how does it change the climate?
