The Brazilian Airlines Association said on Tuesday that the airport in Porto Alegre would remain closed until at least the end of the month after the Guaíba river burst its banks and flooded the runway and key buildings. The river reached a record high level of 5.3m (17.4ft), local officials said. The previous record was reached in 1941 and stood at 4.76m. The death toll from a series of catastrophic floods in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 83, the state’s civil defense unit said Monday. Authorities are also investigating another four deaths to determine if they were related to the storms.
