The death toll from horrific the Madeira floods that claimed the life of a British holidaymaker was feared to be at least 74 today.
A total of 42 bodies have so far been pulled from the water and 32 people remain missing after a torrents of mud and rainwater crashed down the Portuguese island"s steep slopes four days ago.
Many of those uncounted for may never be found because they are likely to have been swept out to sea, officials said.
Nineteen shoppers are also feared drowned in the basement car park of a mall. Divers were searching the shopping centre in the capital, Funchal.
Scroll down for video report
A rescue worker helped by a sniffer dog searches though debris for victims in the village of Santo Antonio
A man is pulled from the flood in Madeira: At least 40 people have died in the mudslides caused by torrential rain
The scars left by landslides are seen on the slopes of Curral das Freiras, a village in the interior of the Madeira
People view a street in Funchal where cars lay buried under debris after heavy flooding
More...Madeira floods: latest travel advice for holidaymakersMachu Picchu: Peru flights slashed to attract tourism to flood-hit region
Rescue teams were also using sniffer dogs to scour debris and dig cars out of mounds of sludge to see if anyone was inside.
Last night it emerged that the three sons of a woman killed when a taxi carrying four Britons was hit by the deluge have flown to the holiday isle to comfort their grieving father.
Pamela Gaines, 50, from Garton-on-the-Wolds, East Yorkshire, was swept away along with the Portuguese driver.
Her husband George, 54, escaped, as did Roger and Gillian Wilson.
Mrs Wilson, in her 50s, is in hospital with serious chest injuries.
Three other Brits are feared injured after torrential rain sparked mudslides and flooding.
The two British couples, who were holidaying together, were travelling in the hills above the Madeiran capital, Funchal.
Madeira is popular with UKholidaymakers, but the Foreign Office said last night it had receivedno other reports of Britons being hurt by the floods and mudslides onSaturday, which followed hours of torrential rain.
People walk along a flooded street in downtown Funchal, Madeira in the aftermath of the floods
Rescue team members take a dead body from the mud in Ribeira Brava after heavy rains and strong winds hit Madeira Island
A local boy died at the same spot after trying to flee with his mother when their car was caught up in the flood.
His father Norberto Castro told howhe saw his five-year-old son Rui Norberto and wife Eulalia swept away.She is still missing. He said: "The car began to slide and I couldn"tcontrol it. I told my wife to make a run for it with our child.
"I saw them fighting against thewater and I saw a man trying to help them. Then they were swept away bythe water and I didn"t see them again."
Portuguese officials said theyexpected the death toll to rise. Hundreds of people have been lefthomeless by the worst tragedy to hit Madeira for a century.
Parts of Funchal resembled theaftermath of a tsunami. Cars were piled on top of one another instreets covered in mud, rocks and stones.
The debris of a taxi is seen lodged between the roofs of two buildings after heavy flooding in Funchal, Madeira
Flood water rushes towards Funchal harbour: The Portuguese government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency in the region
Military personnel look for flood survivors in a building along the streets of downtown Funchal
German tourist Andreas Hoisser said:"It was horrible, there were cars on rooftops, there were vans andtrucks that had been totally crushed".
Hotels in the main tourist area ofFunchal escaped the worst flooding and were getting-back to normal lastnight. Madeira"s most famous son, former Manchester United footballerCristiano Ronaldo, spoke of his devastation and offered to helpvictims.
Most of his immediate family were inthe Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where his sister has given just birth.Ronaldo said: "No-one, especially me as I was born and grew up inMadeira, can remain indifferent to this calamity. I am ready to helpout in any way I can."
A submerged car on a destroyed downtown Funchal street
British holidaymaker Cathy Sayers said Funchal was like a ghost town and that the infrastructure had been wrecked.
She told the BBC: "The drains justcannot cope with the water that"s coming down from the mountains - theyare just overfilled with sludge.
"There wasn"t really any warning,particularly any warning that it would be quite so bad because it isexceptional for this island."
Ricardo Macedo, a rep forBournemouth tour operator Palmair, said: ;Theres a Dunkirk spirit inFunchal. As far as I know all 93 of my clients are safe. Most ofFunchal is without fresh water.
A man and a dog walk by as people recover their belongings from a taxi damaged by the heavy flooding
People look on as a street with vehicles is engulfed by heavy flooding in Funchal
Aftermath: Swept-away cars and debris piled up to first-floor balconies
TV footage showed torrents offast-moving, mud-filled water tearing through the streets of thecapital Funchal, dragging cars and nearly sweeping away two policemen.
Parts of the island were isolated by blocked roads and downedbridges as winds reached 70mph early yesterday. Electricity and phonelinks were also cut.
The Portuguese government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency in the region.
"We"re overwhelmed by calls from people asking for help after thetorrential rains," a duty officer at the civil protection service said.
Homes have been destroyed by the floods and electricity and phone links have also been cut, forcing emergency rescue services toappeal over local radio stations for off-duty doctors and nurses toreport for duty.
The islands government said it wasfinding temporary accommodation for hundreds left homeless by theflooding.
Local authorities called in employees to operate heavy machinery likebulldozers to clear roads and remove debris.
People in low-lying areasof Funchal fled as flood waters rose, state-run Lusa news agency said.
Enlarge
In Funchal, the airport has been closed and the city"s mayor advised residents to stay at home.
Prime Minister Jose Socrates expressed his "profound shock" at the sizeof the calamity affecting Madeira.
Madeira regional president Alberto Joao Jardim spoke to EuropeanCommission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who is Portuguese, to appealfor emergency aid from the European Union.
Mr Socrates promised that help would be sent from the Portuguese mainland.
Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to help "in whatever possible way" following the storm on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Enlarge
Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Villarreal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid
The 24-year-old, who moved to the Bernabeu from Manchester United in a world record 80million deal last summer, scored a brilliant free-kick opener in last night"s 6-2 defeat of Villarreal, which he dedicated to the victims of the disaster.
"Nobody can be indifferent to such a tragedy, especially me," said Ronaldo on Real Madrid"s official website.
"I was born and raised on the island. It"s given me so much. This is why I want to make myself available to help in whatever possible way.
"I would like to help official bodies and organisations to minimise the effects of this great tragedy and to get over them as soon as possible."
No comments:
Post a Comment