MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Extratropical cyclone kills 4 in southern Brazil

An extratropical cyclone forming in the west of Rio Grande do Sul had been forecast

At least four people were killed in Brazil's southeastern State of Rio Grande do Sul after an extratropical cyclone hit the area Monday leaving hundreds of homes without electricity, Agência Brasil reported.

The storm that has been hitting the north of Rio Grande do Sul since dawn on Monday has caused the death of four people in the cities of Mato Castelhano, Passo Fundo, and Ibiraiaras.

According to the state Civil Defense, a man was electrocuted at home at around 9 am when he was hit by an electric shock in Passo Fundo. He was taken to hospital but did not survive. The discharge was probably caused by lightning.

Also in the morning, the Fire Brigade found the body of Cristiano Schuslei, 41, in the River Piraçuce, in Mato Castelhano. The river had overflowed and the driver was unable to control the vehicle, which was dragged into the river.

In the municipality of Ibiraiaras, a couple died while trying to cross a bridge by car in the town of Santa Clara. According to Civil Defense, the car was swept away by the current.

The northern region of the state was the hardest hit by the storm, the cyclone, and the cold front. An extratropical cyclone forming in the west of Rio Grande do Sul had been forecast by the Inmet weather bureau, which had already predicted that the passage of a cold front through Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul last Saturday (2) would cause localized storms, with the possibility of hail falling in isolated areas of that state and also in Santa Catarina, Paraná, and Mato Grosso do Sul. The most significant volume of rain was expected for the northwest and north of Rio Grande do Sul and the southwest of Santa Catarina, with volumes of around 100 millimeters (mm).

The Autonomous Department of Highways (Daer) reported that the large volume of rain that hit the north of Rio Grande do Sul caused changes in traffic in the region. Daer is monitoring the situation on the highways so that traffic can be re-established as soon as possible, within the necessary safety conditions for users, it was explained.

The ERS 324 highway is completely blocked between Vila Maria and Casca. Under heavy rain, 3 meters of water covered the bridge over the Jordão River. The highway is also closed between Passo Fundo and Marau. The town of São Luiz da Mortandade is completely flooded at Km 207.

On ERS 434, there is a partial blockage in the town of Ciriaco, due to water on the road, as well as on ERS 132, between Vila Maria and Camargo. ERS 110 is closed between Jaquirana and Bom Jesus. A barrier has collapsed and the stretch has been completely closed, with no detour. A team from the São Francisco de Paula Regional Superintendence is working to clear the stretch.

Other state roads in the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul remain partially or fully closed due to flooding.

(Source: Agência Brasil)