Brazil floods: Man narrowly avoids death after motorway bridge collapses

The death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by torrential storms in southern Brazil climbed to 39 on Friday, officials said, as they warned of worse to come.

In one video posted online, a motorway bridge in Santa Maria, southern Brazil, can be seen buckling in front of people’s eyes amid high flood waters on Tuesday.

One man who is just about to step onto the bridge narrowly avoids falling in after stepping back just in time.

As the rain kept beating down on Friday, rescuers in boats and planes searched for scores of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads.

Rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre with “unprecedented” flooding, authorities warned.

#brazil #flooding #bridgecollapse

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