Floods kill at least 32 on Portuguese island of Madeira

http://www.timesofearth.com/read/?NT=16&nid=18006 LISBON — At least 32 people have been killed and more than 60 others injured in floods and mudslides caused by torrential rain on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
But authorities warned on Saturday that the death toll could rise as rescue operations continue, hours after the storm hit the popular tourist destination.

"We have confirmed 32 dead, but we're still trying to figure out how many people are missing, so the final death toll can be higher still," an official at the civil protection service in Funchal, Madeira's capital, told the Reuters news agency.

Alberto Joao Jardim, the leader of the regional government in Madeira, about 1,000km southwest of Lisbon, said another 68 people were in hospital emergency wards.

He said the government was making temporary shelters available for hundreds of people left homeless in the flooding.


Jose Socrates, the Portuguese prime minister, has expressed "profound shock" at the disaster and promised support for those affected.

"I am absolutely saddened and shocked with the images, with the consequences of this calamity," he said, as he prepared to travel to Madeira to assess the damage.

Television footage showed powerful streams of water and mud flooding the streets of Funchal, dragging and overturning cars and destroying trees.

It was not immediately clear whether any tourists were among the victims.

Rachel Goncalves, a journalist in Funchal, described the scene as "chaotic".


"We have no memory of something like this ... with so many people dead," she told Reuters news agency.

"There are dramatic stories of a man who saw his family swept away by the waters in Funchal. It's a very dramatic situation and this is only one such story, there are more," she said.




The authorities have promised to organise aid for the autonomous region.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Severe
• flash
• floods
• landslides
• kill
• dozens
• in
• Portugal

[balelanov]

Lamentavel estes acontecimentos!

Desta vez calhou à Madeira, a perola do Atlântico!

Lamentável (minha opinião) os comentários de portugueses escritos em Inglês.. não há mesmo necessidade!

Existe o google tradutor!!

[superstevie44]

@Lizabanana85 I 'm from Scotland and I was there at that time watching the whole thing unfold from the roof top of the hotel do carmo.I have to say the staff from the hotel were amazing.We had no power or water for the duration of the flooding,and the staff evacuated the guests in sixes in their own cars to their sister hotel the Girassol which was situated further west.Did not spoil my holiday in any way......I'm going back to madeira on the 14th feb 2011 for another holiday...I cant wait

[swinestyleproplayer]

omg the nature is very angry

[6cefe]

your right portuguese studies said that the buildings are built in the wrong place

[PIECE2YOURMOTHA]

freaky!

[pavlos619]

wtf

[TheLeonarda]

estou muito abalada com tudo o k vi na minha terra, estou longe mas sinto muito pela minha gente, tenho a minha familia ai e temo pelo pior

[Godtomanonly]

They will take this to the last second.

[rfranquinho]

pena q os brazucas q cá andem n tenham sido levados pela água..