Fresh Rains Pound Brazil's Flood-hit South As Evacuations Double

Porto Alegre, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th May, 2024) The skies opened once again Friday in southern Brazil, offering little respite for those whose homes have been swallowed by floodwaters, while the number of people forced to evacuate doubled in 24 hours.

Residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul were bracing for a weekend of heavy rainfall, hitting just as waters that turned city streets into rivers had begun to subside.

The deluge -- which experts link to climate change exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon -- has affected almost two million people, leaving 126 dead and 756 injured.

Another 141 people are still missing, according to authorities.

The state capital Porto Alegre, home to 1.4 million inhabitants, tried to resume some normalcy on Friday, with some businesses opening and traffic blocking streets as waters receded.

But then, the menacing grey clouds delivered a fresh downpour.

The region expects precipitation with "intense winds and hail," according to the National Institute of Meteorology.

The MetSul Meteorologia site reported "a new period of intense atmospheric instability," with up to 200 mm (7.9 inches) of rain by Monday.