“Attention! A dam with a large volume of water has collapsed and a strong flash flood should affect the municipality of Itambe within moments,” the town hall of the agricultural municipality in southern Bahia announced on Instagram on Saturday evening.
It also called on residents to immediately leave the banks of the Verruga River.
The alert concludes with “SOS Itambe.”
The failure of the Igua dam, located in the suburbs of Vitoria da Conquista, was caused by almost two months of severe storms that claimed the lives of 17 people and left around 4,000 homeless.
According to the state’s governor, Rui Costa, the water rose by one to two meters, and in some places, even three.
The deteriorating situation prompted Vitoria da Conquista Mayor Sheila Lemos to declare a state of emergency and to request urgent help from the federal and state authorities, as well as from the members of parliament representing Bahia in the National Congress.
The minister of regional development, Rogério Marinho, announced on Sunday that Civil Defense and Ministry of Health teams were on the way to Bahia to help the affected population.
The situation, however, remains unstable, as Bahia faces more rainfall to come.
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