2020-12-17 22:05:52 GMT2020-12-18 06:05:52(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
SAO PAULO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) At least 10 people died Thursday in floods and landslides sparked by heavy rains in Presidente Getulio, a town in southern Brazil s Santa Catarina state, bordering Argentina, state officials said. The situation in Presidente Getulio is critical due to the floods: houses, vehicles, everything destroyed, people with water up to their shoulders, the head of the town s fire department, Alex Lima, said.
Civil defense rescue teams were also searching for 12 missing persons in affected neighborhoods, officials said in a statement.
A heavy storm early Thursday battered several towns, some close to Florianopolis, the state capital and one of the most important tourist destinations in Brazil.