15 dead, 70,000 homeless in Brazil floods

Source: Agence France-Presse

RIO DE JANEIRO - Severe flooding has hit Brazil's perennially drought-stricken northeast, killing 15 people and leaving 70,000 others homeless, authorities said Monday.

The states most affected by the flooding are Maranhao, Piaui, Ceara, Alagoas and Bahia.

Six people were killed and six major highways were inundated in Maranho, drenched by the heaviest rains since 1985, civil defense authorities said.

Sao Luis, the state capital, and 40 other towns have been battered by rains that have lasted nearly a month.

An estimated 48,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and of those 22,000 lost their homes, a civil defense spokesman said... In Piaui more than 30,000 were forced to leave their houses and take refuge in schools and gymnasiums.


Read more: http://www.canada.com/dead+homeless+Brazil+floods/1562429/story.html

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70,000 homeless and more than a dozen dead... this is terrible news.

Could this be another reason why Ahmadinejad canceled his visit?

that's not good...