Berlin, May 6, (dpa/GNA) – The death toll in flooding in southern Brazil after days of heavy rain has risen to at least 66, civil defence authorities said on Sunday.

Another six possible deaths are being investigated, while 101 people are still missing, according to authorities in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

More than 80,000 people were forced to leave their homes and some 15,000 had to be accommodated in emergency shelters.

More than 400,000 households were reportedly without electricity and around 840,000 people were left without water, while dozens of communities were without internet and telephone connections.

Numerous roads remain blocked following the floods that have affected 332 communities since the beginning of last week, according to the authorities.

The city centre of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, was also flooded.

The governor of the state that borders Argentina and Uruguay, Eduardo Leite, called the floods an unprecedented disaster. The number of victims could rise “exponentially” despite the gradual decrease in rainfall, as some areas have not yet been reached, he said.

Leite said Marshall Plan-type efforts would be needed to rebuild Rio Grande do Sul, alluding to the US economic aid programme for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited the affected area for the second time on Sunday.

According to the government, around 1,600 people and 32 helicopters have been deployed in permanent rescue operations. The air force has rescued more than 200 people so far.

Civil defence authorities warned on Sunday of potential further flooding and landslides. Parts of the affected region had already experienced storms and flooding in September, resulting in at least 42 deaths.

GNA