LE FIGARO: Les intempéries qui ont frappé aujourd'hui l'île portugaise de Madère ont fait au moins 32 morts et 68 blessés, selon un nouveau bilan annoncé par le ministre de l'Intérieur portugais, Rui Pereira. >>> AFP | Samedi 20 Février 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: At least 32 people are feared dead after mudslides and floods swept the Portuguese holiday island of Madeira.
More than 60 others were also hospitalised as torrential streams of water and liquid mud swept through the capital, Funchal, destroying homes, overturning cars and felling trees. The Atlantic island, which lies around 600 miles south-west of Portugal, is a popular destination for British holidaymakers and is thought to have been busy this week with half-term visitors. Last night the Foreign Office said it was monitoring the situation, althought there were no reports of foreign tourists being killed or injured.
The Portuguese interior minister Rui Pereira was preparing to make an emergency visit to the island, which was battered by winds in excess of 70mph.
"We’re overwhelmed by calls from people asking for help after the torrential rains," added one duty officer at the civil protection service.
Rescue efforts have been hampered by strong winds, high seas and blocked roads, while phone and electricity lines thought to have sustained severe damage.
Portugal's prime minister, Jose Socrates, expressed his “profound shock” at the scale of the devastation, which is thought to have affected mainly the capital. >>> Colin Freeman and Nick Meo | Saturday, February 20, 2010
