Watch: Bridge collapses as floods wreak havoc in Brazil

Brazil, which has been hit by record-breaking floods devastating cities and forcing thousands to leave their homes, witnessed a bridge collapsing into a river in Santa Maria, Rio Grande de Sul.

A footage by BBC shows the bridge breaking from its supports at both ends and collapsing into the flowing currents of the river below. Witnesses can be seen on both sides of the collapsing bridge, with one man narrowly avoiding falling into the river. Luckily, no casualties or injuries were reported.

This comes a day after a hydroelectric dam had collapsed in the state between the municipalities of Cotiporã and Bento Gonçalves, plunging towns under water.

The downpour in Brazil’s Rio Grande de Sul state started on Monday and was expected to last through Friday. According to reports, local officials have stated that 39 people have been killed in the floods, with 68 still missing. A state of public calamity was announced by the state government in the region to handle the situation.

State Governor Eduardo Leite had remarked that the situation is worse than last year’s rains in the state, according to news agency Reuters. Historically, Brazil has periodically experienced droughts in the north and intense rainfall in the south due to the El Niño. The impacts of El Niño have been particularly severe this year.

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