At least 39 people have died in severe flooding in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, local authorities said, with the death toll expected to rise as dozens remain missing.

Rio Grande do Sul’s civil protection authority said 68 people were still missing, while at least 24,000 people had been displaced as storms hit more than half of the 497 towns in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, state governor Eduardo Leyte stressed that “the number of dead and missing may change in the coming days as we gain access to more areas,” state governor Eduardo Leyte told reporters on Friday. local time.

In many cities, roads turned into rivers, while several roads and bridges have been destroyed. The severe storm also caused landslides and collapsed a dam at a small hydroelectric station.

A second dam in town Bento Goncalves is also at risk of collapsing, authorities said, ordering people living nearby to evacuate the area.

In the Porto Alegrethe capital of Rio Grande do Sul, o Guaiba River broke its banks and flooded streets, blocking access to the city’s historic central neighborhoods.

Scientists believe that weather conditions in the region, with heavy rainfall and drought, have intensified due to climate change.

It is recalled that the Rio Grande do Sul it was also affected by floods last September, due to a tropical cyclone that swept through the region, having left behind more than 50 dead.

This came after more than two years of persistent drought due to the phenomenon La Niñawith only rare rains.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva traveled to the state on Thursday to visit affected sites and discuss rescue efforts with the governor.

On Friday, the Brazilian president promised that his government would support efforts to rescue and rebuild the region.