A state of emergency has been declared in over 70 municipalities in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná after heavy rainfall across the state led to widespread flooding. The neighbouring state of Santa Catarina has also been affected.
Some reports claim the flooding has struck in at least 70 towns and cities in Paraná, including Campo Largo, Cascavel, Cruz Machado, Mallet, Pinhão, Reserva do Iguaçu and São Matheus do Sul, as well as the capital and World Cup host city of Curitiba. Although so far it seems Curtiba has been spared the worst, areas of the city including Uberaba, Cajuru, Boqueirão, Tatuquara and Santa Felicidade have seen some flooding and there are still fears that the two rivers in the city may overflow.
Around 3,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, displacing over 7,000 people. Bridges and roads have been washed away in the floods, and the military have been called in to carry out rescue missions and evacuations.
Update
Local authorities say that at least 9 people have died in the flooding. The deaths occurred Guarapuava, Sulinain, Medianeira, Laranjeiras do Sul, Campina do Simão and Curitiba.
