Thu, 17 May 2012
Source: 3News NZ
A mighty tributary of the Amazon River has hit a record high level after weeks of heavy rains.
Brazil's geographical service says on its website that the Rio Negro crested at 29.78 metres Wednesday in the jungle city of Manaus. That's just above the previous record set in 2009, when the river hit 29.77 metres.
Records have been kept on the level of the powerful river since 1902.
The river's waters are flooding the centre of the city of 1.6 million people.
Manaus is located in Amazonas state, where 83 percent of the counties are in a state of emergency because of flooding.
The rains are continuing and officials warn the river could rise even higher.
Source: 3News NZ
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| Pedestrians use a makeshift walkway built to deal with the record flooding of the Rio Negro (Reuters) |
Brazil's geographical service says on its website that the Rio Negro crested at 29.78 metres Wednesday in the jungle city of Manaus. That's just above the previous record set in 2009, when the river hit 29.77 metres.
Records have been kept on the level of the powerful river since 1902.
The river's waters are flooding the centre of the city of 1.6 million people.
Manaus is located in Amazonas state, where 83 percent of the counties are in a state of emergency because of flooding.
The rains are continuing and officials warn the river could rise even higher.