Rescue crews hunt Madeira missing

Portugal has sent medical teams, rescue workers, divers and relief supplies to the Atlantic Ocean island, about 1,000km southwest of Lisbon, the capital.

A Briton was said on Monday to have died in the mudslides, the first confirmed death of a foreign national in the disaster.

Tricky terrain

Emma Hayward, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Funchal, said finding trapped survivors would be “difficult”.

“The big task ahead will be trying to find any of those trapped survivors … It will be very difficult to do so, the terrain of this island is pretty tricky,” she said. 

The Portuguese naval frigate Corte-Real set off from Lisbon for Madeira late on Saturday with helicopters to help with the emergency operation and other supplies, a military statement said.

Two helicopters and two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft were also en route along with 89 police and firefighters.

Witnesses described how the mudslides filled some homes up to the second floor, while flash floods swept away bridges and buildings.

Television footage showed powerful streams of water and mud flooding the streets of Funchal, dragging and overturning cars and destroying trees.

At least 250 people have been made homeless by the heavy rains, the worst to hit the island since October 1983, when eight people died.

Jose Socrates, the Portuguese prime minister, has expressed “profound shock” at the disaster and promised support for those affected.

“I am absolutely saddened and shocked with the images, with the consequences of this calamity,” he said.

He later travelled to Madeira to assess the damage.

Portugal’s options

Portuguese authorities have promised to organise aid for the autonomous region.

The country’s government has also said it is considering asking the European Union for help with the crisis.

Portuguese officials said they are discussing whether to declare a state of emergency on the island.

Madeira is the main island of an archipelago of the same name off the northwest coast of Africa.