Heavy rains in central and southern Chile have resulted in at least two people dead plus thousands stranded or taken to shelters, it was reported Monday. The victims were a driver who was hit by a tree and a firefighter who was killed Sunday when trying to rescue a lamb from the river in the town of Cañete, in the Bíobio region, some 550 kilometers south of Santiago, Undersecretary of the Interior Manuel Monsalve said.
Relief work in Petropolis had to be halted Thursday due to new rains but the death toll continued to increase from previous figures, reaching 117 fatalities and at least 116 people missing.
Although flooding rain has already hit parts of Brazil so far in 2020, more rain and flooding could strike the southern part of the country in the coming week. In addition to southern Brazil, other parts of South America may also be threatened.
Over 30,000 people have been displaced by heavy rains in southeast Brazil that also killed 54 people and left 18 missing. The storms in recent days caused floods and landslides, submerging entire neighbourhoods and sending homes tumbling down hillsides in the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
Intense rainfall in northeast Argentina and neighbouring areas in Mercosur members has caused devastating floods, amplifying the economic burdens of Argentina's recession. Over 5,000 people have evacuated the region, and millions of hectares of crops have been sent underwater.
Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state placed emergency teams on maximum alert as heavy rains that have displaced 35.000 residents were forecast to continue, reviving fears of mudslides and flooding that killed about 900 people last year.