MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Six new bodies rise Pernambuco death toll to 106

There are still 10 people missing and bad weather is forecast to continue

Brazilian rescue agents have retrieved six more bodies of people who lost their lives during last week's severe rainstorms in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, thus rising to death toll to 106, Agencia Brasil reported Tuesday. Ten others remain listed as “missing.”

Three of the victims were found in Vila dos Milagres. The other three were found in Jardim Monteverde. “In this locality, the search work is closed, since all the missing people have been found,” the state's Department of Social Defense said.

The bodies were sent to the Legal Medicine Institute of Recife (IML) for forensic identification and other procedures.

According to the Operations Center of the Civil Defense Coordination of Pernambuco (Codecipe), there are, so far, 6,198 people homeless after moderate rains were registered early Tuesday.

Given the forecasts, Civil Defense authorities are still on alert for possible landslides, because of the soil conditions.

There are 24 municipalities with decreed emergency situations: Recife, Olinda, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, São José da Coroa Grande, Moreno, Nazaré da Mata, Macaparana, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, São Vicente Ferrer, Paudalho, Paulista, Goiana, Timbaúba, Camaragibe, São Lourenço da Mata, Abreu e Lima, Araçoiaba, Igarassu, Aliança, Glória do Goitá, Vicência, Bom Jardim, Limoeiro, and Passira.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the affected areas. He promised to send aid and resources to the affected families, most of whom live in shantytowns.

It is the fourth major flooding in five months. In late December and early January, dozens of people were killed and tens of thousands displaced when rains lashed the state of Bahia, also in northeastern Brazil.

At least another 18 people died during flooding in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo in late January, while torrential rains in the state of Rio de Janeiro killed more than 230 people the following month.

Read also: Bolsonaro going to Pernambuco as death toll from storms keeps rising