The death toll from floods in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to 78. Apart from this, more than 1 lakh 15 thousand people have been displaced by the flood.

Reuters reported this information in a report on Monday.

Reuters reports that the death toll may rise. Because on Sunday (May 5) 105 people were reported missing, which was about 70 people the previous day.

More than two-thirds of the towns in the nearly 500 states bordering Uruguay and Argentina have been affected by flooding in recent days of storms and rain.

Roads and bridges in several cities were damaged by the floods. Heavy rains caused landslides at a small hydroelectric plant and a partial collapse of a dam. As a result, more than 400,000 people in Rio Grande do Sul were left without electricity on Sunday evening. Apart from this, about one third of the total population suffers from the shortage of fresh water.

Volunteers are said to have assisted in ongoing rescue efforts by using boats, jet skis, and even swimming.

A rescue worker named Fabiano Saldanha said that he and his 3 friends have rescued about 50 people since last Friday using jet skis.

Kylie Moraes, a resident of the town of Canos, near Porto Alegre, said the floodwaters reached almost the second floor of her house. She was forced to take shelter on the roof of the house with her three children and husband. He has not seen such a flood in the region in the last 52 years.

Meanwhile, the governor of the state, Eduardo Leite, has commented that it is a war situation to show the severity of the flood situation.

Apart from this, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region promising the help of the central government.

Brazil’s National Geological Survey said the flood situation has become so dire because of the breaching of Lake Guaiba and its banks in Porto Alegre. The water level has risen a lot. In some places two storied houses have also sunk.