Flash floods that turned into street torrents destroying houses and pulling down bridges killed at least 38 people and injured more than 100 on the Portuguese island of Madeira, officials said yesterday.
Portugal rushed medical teams, rescuers, divers and relief supplies to the tourist island, warning that more bodies would be found in the mud that filled houses and swept people off their feet as they tried to escape.
The main airport was closed, power and telephone lines torn down and authorities told people not to risk their lives by venturing out.
“We have 38 dead, but the figure is not completely definitive,” regional government social affairs secretary Francisco Ramos told reporters, warning that the toll was likely to rise.
“We are going to continue to search for bodies, we are waiting for the teams which are due to arrive … in order to continue working on the ground,” he said.
People who left their homes in the main city, Funchal, struggled to keep their feet in torrents of muddy water that poured down the hillsides and out of alleys.
The flash floods destroyed houses and bridges, particularly around Funchal and the Ribeira Brava region, both on the south of the island.
The Portuguese naval frigate Corte-Real set off from Lisbon for Madeira late on Saturday with helicopters, a medical team and relief supplies, a military statement said.
Two helicopters and two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft were also en route. Eighty-nine police and firefighters were to leave Lisbon for Funchal yesterday.
The head of the regional government held talks late on Saturday with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a bid to get EU aid.
The strong winds and heavy rain caused flooding and landslides, particularly in the south of Madeira, which is 900km southwest of the Portuguese mainland and 500km from the African coast.
Winds exceeding 100kph, high seas and blocked roads made rescue attempts even more difficult for emergency services, though weather experts said the worst of the storms was over.
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