Flooding in Brazil: then and now – in pictures

Heavy rains that began last week have caused rivers to flood, inundating whole towns and destroying roads and bridges across the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The local civil defence agency said the death toll had risen to 90, while 131 people were unaccounted for with 155,000 homeless. A state of emergency has been declared in 397 of Rio Grande do Sul’s 497 towns and cities as rescue efforts continue.

The Taquari River in Rio Grande do Sul. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/ AFP/Getty Images

Flooded areas around Grêmio Arena in Porto Alegre. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/AP

Before and after images of the flood affecting the Taquari River. Photographs:

Maxar Technologies/AFP/Getty Images

The Taquari River and the highway 386 bridge in Estrela. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/AP

Homes and neighbourhoods in north Porto Alegre. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/AFP/Getty Images

An area in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Photographs: EU/Copernicus

Sentinel-2/Reuters

Salgado Filho airport in Porto Alegre. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/AP

The area around the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/Reuters

The railyard and buildings north of the airport in Porto Alegre. Photographs:

Maxar Technologies/AP

A neighbourhood by the Cai River in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/AFP/Getty Images

Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite images showing a broad area along Jacuí River, in Rio Grande Do Sul. Photographs: Maxar Technologies/AFP/ Getty Images