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| Situation Update No. 4 Ref.no.: FF-20100220-25007-PRT
Situation Update No. 4
On 2010-02-21 at 14:08:22 [UTC]
Event: Flash Flood
Location: Portugal Island of Madeira
Number of Deads: 38 person(s)
Number of Injured: 106 person(s)
Number of Evacuated: 250 person(s)
Situation: At least 40 people were killed and 106 injured by flash flooding and mudslides on the Portuguese island of Madeira, the local civil protection agency said Sunday. An unknown number of people are still missing, the authorities told CNN. About 250 people were evacuated. "We have some parts where we can't go because the bridges are down," a spokesman for the civil protection agency told CNN, saying the numbers of victims may rise as more information comes in. The mudslides and flooding damaged roads and homes in the capital, Funchal, and in Ribeira Brava, which are both on the southern portion of the Atlantic island. Floodwaters overturned cars and knocked down trees. Hundreds were evacuated to military and civil protection facilities in Funchal. Search-and-rescue teams have been reinforced, but haven't been able to reach every area, according to the Civil Protection Agency. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said "the situation is under control" and the government is offering its support to regional authorities. President Cavaco Silva expressed his condolences in a televised statement and promised to do everything to help. Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is a popular resort destination. There have been no reports of any dead or missing tourists. Madeira is one of the Madeira Islands, an archipelago about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of the Portuguese mainland. |  | | | |
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