Brazil flood: At least 78 dead and more missing

At least 78 people have been killed and more than 115,000 displaced after a week of extremely heavy rain in southern Brazil, causing flood damage which the local governor has described as a “war scenario”. Nearly two thirds of the almost 500 cities in the vast state of Rio Grande do Sul, which borders Uruguay and Argentina, have been affected. The state’s capital, Porto Alegre, has experienced the worst flooding in its history, with the Guaiba river reaching higher levels than those recorded during a disastrous flood in 1941. The city’s international airport has suspended all flights since Friday. On Sunday Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president, flew to the state to discuss rescue and reconstruction works. Read more on this story: Read the best of our journalism: Subscribe to The Times and The Sunday Times YouTube channel: