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Thursday, March 28, 2024

“Massive Tragedy” – Brazilian Dams Break, Ten More At Risk Of Collapse Amid Heavy Rain

Courtesy of ZeroHedge View original post here.

Update (Monday 1310ET): Two dams collapsed in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia over the weekend after weeks of heavy rain. 

On Saturday night, the Igua dam on the Verruga river near Vitoria da Conquista in southern Bahia collapsed. The second dam broke about 62 miles to the north on Sunday morning. 

The floods have affected 40 cities throughout Bahia, Gov. Rui Costa said. He said at least 35,000 people had been displaced from their homes. 

"This is a massive tragedy. I can't remember seeing anything like this in Bahia's recent history, given the amount of cities and houses involved. It's truly terrifying, there are so many houses and streets that are completely underwater," Costa said.

As of Sunday, authorities declared a state of emergency in 72 cities, with floodwaters in certain parts of the state reaching as high as 30 feet. 

Local newspaper O Globo reported that state officials closely monitor ten more dams at risk for collapse

Images from the ground show the devastation across Bahia.  

* * * 

After weeks of heavy rain, a dam in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia collapsed, sending a massive wall of water into populated areas. 

The dam in focus is the Igua dam, located near the city of Vitoria da Conquista in southern Bahia. It reportedly collapsed on Saturday evening and resulted in flooding of towns, including Itambe. Officials in the city warned people to evacuate immediately. 

"A dam with a high volume of water has broken and a strong flash flood is expected to affect the municipality of Itambe in a few moments. All residents should evacuate from the banks of the river Verruga urgently," said an Instagram post by the city. 

Local all-news radio network, BandNews FM, tweeted a video that shows the devastation in Itambe. 

Other areas have been affected by the flooding. 

Since early November, the Bahia state government said torrential rains had caused major floods across 72 cities and killed at least 18 people, with 4,000 households displaced. There was no word on how many people were displaced are killed in the latest flooding incident. 

"At this first moment, we're acting to save people, to get people off the top of their houses, out of isolation, with boats," Bahia Gov. Rui Costa said Sunday. He said first responders are distributing emergency aid to affected residents. 

Other towns in Bahia monitor the deteriorating situation as more heavy rains mean other dams in the state could be at risk of collapse. 

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