No letup yet for flood-battered southern Brazil

Aerial view of flooded streets during rescue operations in the Sao Jao neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Brazil, taken on May 6, 2024, following torrential storms in southern Rio Grande do Sul state. [AFP]

The rains may have abated, but floodwaters continued their assault on southern Brazil Monday, with hundreds of municipalities in ruins amid fears that food and drinking water may soon run out.

Since the unprecedented deluge started last week, at least 85 people have died and more than 150,000 were ejected from their homes by floods and mudslides in Rio Grande do Sul state, authorities said.