Body of missing woman found after car was swept away by current in RS

The Rio Grande do Sul Military Fire Department located, this Tuesday (17), the body of a woman who was missing after the car she was in was swept away by the current in Candelária, in the Vales region. The death occurred amid new storms that have hit the state since Monday (16).

According to the state Civil Defense, the victim, 54 years old, was found inside the vehicle, a Gol, in the locality of Linha Curitiba, in the rural area of ​​the municipality. The man who was also in the car, 65 years old, remains missing.

Initially, Civil Defense had reported that the two bodies had been located, but the information was corrected during the night. The search for the man continues.

According to authorities, the car was swept away by the force of the water during an attempt to cross a flooded bridge. The circumstances of the case will be investigated by public security agencies.

According to a bulletin released by Civil Defense on Tuesday night, at least 33 municipalities have already registered damage caused by the rains. Among the main problems are flooding, landslides, damage to roads, landslides and interruptions in the supply of electricity.

In Santa Maria, the accumulated rainfall exceeded 140 mm in 24 hours, surpassing the June average of 128 mm. The city has nine homeless people, 178 affected and more than 30 houses damaged.

In Jaguari, the number of people without homes is even higher: there are 600 homeless and 600 displaced, according to Civil Defense.

Rainfall also exceeded the monthly average in Encruzilhada do Sul (157 mm, average of 128 mm) and São Vicente do Sul (137 mm, average of 126 mm).

The Civil Defense of Santa Maria recorded 36 flooding points, one flood, one building collapse and 34 damaged houses. In Encruzilhada do Sul, there are 30 displaced people and 15 homes flooded by the Lava Pés stream, which overflowed.

In Mata, in the central region, more than 30 families had to leave their homes due to flooding with up to 80 centimeters of water in some areas of the city.

There were also reports of damage in the western border region, where hail caused damage to the roofs of houses in Santana do Livramento and São Borja, which canceled classes.

Classes were also suspended in Passa Sete and Segredo, where flooding and water over bridges were recorded.

A section of the ERS-287 highway in Paraíso do Sul is completely blocked, as is the Bernardino Line bridge in Sobradinho. There were reports of damage to the roofs of houses in Gentil, Nova Hartz and Santa Cruz do Sul.

According to the Civil Defense, the 33 municipalities that reported damage or incidents related to the rains until the evening of this Tuesday are:

Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology) maintains a red alert for the risk of large accumulations of rain in the western and central regions of the state until Thursday (19). The precipitation is expected to continue at least until the 20th, with the risk of further disruptions in different regions of Rio Grande do Sul.