Recsuers search for survivors in Madeira
Published:Monday | February 22, 2010 | 9:14 AM
Rescue workers are continuing to search for survivors following flash flooding and mudslides on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Saturday.
Officials say at least 42 persons have been killed and 120 injured.
A spokesman for the island’s civil protection agency says 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.
The spokesman says about 250 people were evacuated to military bases and other safe locations.
However, there are fears that the death toll could rise as several hundred persons are unaccounted for.
Officials say Saturday\'s heavy rains were the worst in Madeira since 1993, when a storm killed eight people.