Havana, February 20. The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, this Monday sent a message of condolences to the Brazilian people and to their President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for the victims of the heavy rain that hit the coast of the state of Sao Paulo on the weekend.
“We send our condolences to the Brazilian people and to President Lula for the loss of life during the heavy rains in the state of Sao Paulo,” the Cuban president wrote on his Twitter profile.
Díaz-Canel also expressed in his message that they “count on the solidarity of Cuba in the face of this difficult circumstance”.
The island’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, also offered his condolences to the relatives of those who disappeared after the rainfall, which exceeded 600 millimeters in one day, one of the highest figures recorded in the country during the past of this period.
Brazilian authorities continue on Monday to search for at least 40 people after the intense rains that fell on the coasts of the state of Sao Paulo and which have so far left 36 dead and at least 40 missing in this tourist town.
The rescue brigades are working in search of survivors, in an operation involving more than 600 police, firefighters and soldiers, according to official sources.
Last weekend’s heavy rains left a trail of destruction in their wake, including flooding, landslides and severe damage to roads in the area, impeding traffic on these roads.