A cyclone tore by southern Brazil, killing no less than 11 folks and forcing hundreds from their houses, authorities mentioned Sunday.

Another 10 persons are lacking after the storm in Rio Grande do Sul state Thursday and Friday, authorities mentioned, decreasing this determine from 20 given earlier.

A 4 month outdated child is among the many fatalities, native media mentioned. They broadcast footage of a automotive being swept right into a cemetery by highly effective winds.

“The water came up to our waist inside the house. Thank God, the firemen arrived quickly and got us out on boats. It seemed like a nightmare,” a girl within the city of Sao Leopoldo informed the newspaper Estadao, which didn’t give her identify.

Other folks had been evacuated by helicopter.

A complete of three,713 folks had been left with broken homes and 697 had been evacuated from areas in danger as a result of passage of the cyclone between Thursday and Friday.

Rio Grande do Sul governor Eduardo Leite visited the worst-affected areas by helicopter on Saturday along with authorities and rescue officers.

In Caraa, one of many worst-hit cities, the governor visited a group middle used to shelter tons of of individuals whose houses had been broken by the storm.

“The situation in Caraa worries us deeply. It is essential that we can, in an integrated manner, quickly map the main affected areas and identify the people who need support,” the governor mentioned within the assertion.

Leite mentioned state firefighters had rescued about 2,400 folks previously two days.

“Our main objective at this moment is to protect and save human lives. Rescue people who are isolated, locate the missing and support families,” Leite mentioned.

Brazil has been hit by a sequence of lethal climate disasters in recent times, which specialists say are being made worse by local weather change.

At least 65 folks died in February when torrential rain triggered floods and landslides within the southeastern state of Sao Paulo.