Heavy rains break open dam in Brazil; 1 dead, 2,500 homeless

Posted: 29 May 2009 0442 hrs

SAO PAULO - Heavy rain in northeast Brazil broke open a dam, destroying 500 homes and killing a 12-year-old girl, officials said Thursday.

The government of the state of Piaui said the damage wrought Wednesday by the breach outside the town of Cocal left an estimated 2,500 people homeless.

The girl died when the waters in the Pirangi river rose suddenly, up to 20 meters (60 feet) in some parts, it said in a statement.

"It was a real tsunami," said state governor Wellington Dias as he visited the area.

He added that he was talking with the federal government about providing aid to those affected.

Flooding and mudslides in northeast Brazil over the past few weeks have left 54 people dead.

- AFP /ls

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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