Madeira floods kill 40, rescuers hunt for missing — one-day rainfall exceeds monthly average
Reporting by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Andrew Dobbie FUNCHAL, Portugal (Reuters) – Portuguese rescue workers using bulldozers searched on Sunday for more bodies under debris after violent floods and mudslides killed at least 40 people on the resort island of Madeira. Authorities flew more rescue teams and military engineers from the mainland to help the Atlantic island where a heavy rainstorm on Saturday unleashed floods and mudslides, washing away bridges, blocking roads with rocks and mud and cutting off parts of the island. Pedro Barbosa, deputy chief of the regional civil protection service, told Reuters one village, Curral das Freiras, was still cut off and could only be contacted by radio. “We know there are some victims there, not a high number, but we will only know the details when rescuers reach the village later today,” he said. Francisco Ramos, the regional secretary for social affairs, told reporters there were 40 confirmed deaths on Madeira, which lies about 1,000 km (625 miles) southwest of Lisbon. “We hope this number will not rise, but it probably will given the circumstances of this deluge,” he said. “All teams are in the field working … We will continue looking for bodies, we are awaiting teams from the continent.” … Meteorologists said the amount of rainfall that fell in one day on Saturday exceeded the monthly average, but no heavy rainfall was expected on Madeira over the next few days.
