Dog-loving grandpa, 68, drowned while trying to save puppy ravaged by floods in Brazil, where 41 people died and 46 remain missing
- Evandro Bertoldi drowned while trying to save a dog swept away by floodwaters in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul
- The 68-year-old was on the second floor of a neighbor’s house in the town of Muçum when he noticed the dog was in trouble
- The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall from an extratropical storm that hit the southernmost state on Monday, killing 40 people and leaving 46 missing.
A dog-loving grandfather died earlier this week when he jumped into devastating floodwaters to save a dog from drowning in southern Brazil.
Evandro Bertoldi, 68, is among 41 people confirmed dead after an extratropical cyclone tore through Rio Grande do Sul state on Monday.
Bertoldi took refuge on the second floor of a house in the town of Muçum between Monday and Tuesday as he tried to rescue the puppy, Brazilian news channel G1 reported.
His son, Leandro Bertoldi, learned Wednesday that his father had died when he went to visit the neighborhood where he lived.
“I heard from people that he was at his neighbor’s house, a two-story house, and saw a little dog drowning,” he said. “Because he loves animals, he went to try to help the dog and didn’t come back.”
Evandro Bertoldi died this week in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, while trying to save a dog that was swept away by floodwaters near his neighbor’s home. The 68-year-old is survived by a son, daughter and granddaughter
A wall of a house hangs from electricity cables after the passage of an extratropical cyclone in the Muçum, a city in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The storm claimed the lives of 41 people, including 15 in Muçum
Leandro visited a hospital and saw workers unloading bodies from a semi-trailer and leaning against them.
He traveled to Porto Alegre on Thursday to identify his father’s body.
The tragic loss has dealt an emotional blow to his sister and daughter.
‘I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I have a sister, Gabriela. She’s panicking. I left with her alone,” Leandro said.
His daughter, Leandro said, has been crying ever since — the family had planned a horseback ride.
‘My daughter just cries. She had arranged with my father that there would be a horse ride there in town, and that he would visit her there,” he said. “Now it’s all gone to shit.”
Evandro Bertoldi is one of 15 people killed in Muçum, a city in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, which was hit by an extratropical cyclone on Monday.
Residents’ belongings are seen clearing a flooded area after an extratropical cyclone hit the southern Brazilian city of Muçum
Muçum residents Silvana Primel and Jose Gabriel pick up objects in the ruins of their home
Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite declared a state of public disaster on Thursday and canceled statewide parades celebrating Brazil’s Independence Day.
The state government said the extratropical cyclone affected 80 towns and left more than 2,300 people homeless and more than 3,900 displaced.
The Civil Protection said 15 of the 41 deaths were reported in Maçum.
The agency said 46 people were still missing on Friday, including 30 in Muçum.
The municipalities of Lajeado and Arroio do Meio each reported eight missing persons.
Extratropical cyclones ‘have cold air at their core’ and ‘derive their energy from the release of potential energy when cold and warm air masses interact,” according to the National Weather Service.
The storm can develop over land or in the ocean and is always connected by one or more fronts. The wind can be ‘as weak as a tropical depression, or as strong as a hurricane.’