RIA Novosti

Over 32,000 lose roof over their heads in northeast Brazil due to floods

02:38 20/06/2010

More than 32,000 people lost the roof over their heads and six went missing in Brazil's northeastern state of Alagoas due to heavy rains that caused floods.

More than 32,000 people lost the roof over their heads and six went missing in Brazil's northeastern state of Alagoas due to heavy rains that caused floods, the local civil defense service reported Sunday.

Heavy rains have continued for a third week. Residential buildings in 21 inhabited localities were flooded. Rescuers assess the total of number of those affected at 55,000 people. There are no data on those killed.

Last Thursday, 39 towns in Alagoas introduced an emergency situation regime due to Dengue fever. More than 6,000 have contracted the disease since the year start, four have died.

Experts say rains and subsequent flooding increase the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, who are the key transmitters of the disease to humans.

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 20 (RIA Novosti)

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