Portugal landslides death toll rises to 38, emergency aid being flown to island of Madeira

Portugal landslides death toll rises to 38

FUNCHAL, Madeira Islands — The death toll from mudslides and flash flooding on the Portuguese island of Madeira rose to 38 people Sunday as the government rushed emergency aid to the resort haven. More than 100 others were injured and an unknown number were missing, authorities said.

Regional social services spokesman Francisco Ramos told state news agency Lusa that not everyone was accounted for after heavy rain lashed the island Saturday, turning some streets in capital of Funchal into raging rivers of mud, water and debris.

Ramos said rescue workers feared some people were still buried under the caked muck that coated the city.

“We will continue prospecting for bodies, we are waiting for the teams that come from the mainland to continue working on the ground,” he said.

The heavy rain — the worst storm to hit the island since 1993 — also displaced 250 people.

Some residents had to hold onto railings or any sturdy object they could find so they weren’t swept away by the torrents. A number of cars were consumed by the force of the water, and the battered shells of overturned vehicles littered the streets. Rescue workers wearing helmets helped people cross through some torrents at places where the flow of the water wasn’t so strong. A fire truck appeared to have slammed into a tree.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates said he was “profoundly shocked” by the severity of the mudslides. He promised the government would provide help to ensure Madeira could begin recovery work as quickly as possible.

Some roads and bridges have been washed away while others are littered with uprooted trees, swept away cars and boulders, all hampering search and rescue efforts.

The weather improved Sunday, making it easier for rescue workers to move around.

A medical team backed up by divers and rescue experts was being sent Sunday aboard a C-130 transport plane to the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 550 miles (900 kilometers) southwest of Lisbon. The plane was also carrying telecommunications equipment to help repair damage, since the flash floods that swept down the mountainous island ripped out phone lines.

Army units based on the island mobilized rescue teams and two helicopters.

“Debris removal, personnel carriers and bridge specialist teams have been deployed,” the army statement said.

Madeira is the main island of a Portuguese archipelago of the same name, in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa. The island is popular with British tourists.

Britain’s Foreign Office said Sunday a “small number” of Britons had been hospitalized on Madeira. It did not provide further details, but added the government had not heard of any British fatalities.

Associated Press writers Harold Heckle in Madrid and Raphael G. Satter in London contributed to this report.