"Minister Mauro Vieira received a phone call from the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, who expressed the solidarity and support of the Portuguese Government in the face of the floods that are devastating Rio Grande do Sul", reads a note released on Wednesday by Brazilian diplomatic authorities.

Also through a statement on social media, Portuguese diplomacy reported the phone call and added that Portugal once again showed "all of Portugal's solidarity with the people of Rio Grande do Sul affected by the tragic and devastating floods".

Paulo Rangel "expressed his full availability to provide Brazil with all necessary support, in close coordination with the Brazilian Embassy in Lisbon".

Both the Portuguese and the Brazilian community residing in Portugal, recalled the head of Portuguese diplomacy, "gathered and collected essential goods in an impressive quantity", which Portugal will send to "the people of Rio Grande do Sul".

Mauro Vieira thanked and accepted Portugal's support, also guaranteeing that "the ministers are willing to coordinate regarding the Portuguese support offered, including in terms of logistical aspects".

On Friday, Brazil said it was coordinating with air transport companies so that more than 200 tons of donations collected in Portugal could reach the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is suffering from unprecedented flooding.

"In Portugal, the Brazilian embassy and the consulate received more than 200 tons of donations from our Portuguese brothers and from Brazilians residing in the country", said the Brazilian Government in a statement.

In the first phase, priority will be given to sending medicines and medical equipment by air, but the Brazilian authorities guarantee that "they are coordinating with airlines and shipping companies to transport" all donations.

Donations sent from abroad to the affected regions are exempt from taxation, clarified the Brazilian Government, which detailed that the guidelines and rules for sending are available on the website of the Federal Revenue Service (https://www.gov.br/receitafederal/pt-br/).

The death toll from the floods in southern Brazil has risen to 150, with 112 people still missing and around 620,000 displaced, authorities said on Tuesday.

With 2.12 million people affected, the state of Rio Grande do Sul remains the most affected, more than a week after a severe storm caused great devastation in almost two-thirds of its territory.

In this region that borders Uruguay and Argentina, 149 deaths were recorded, while in the neighbouring state of Santa Catarina, also affected by heavy rains, although on a smaller scale, the other fatal victim was recorded.

Since the beginning of this climate tragedy, the largest in the history of southern Brazil, around 80,000 people and 11,000 animals have been rescued by the authorities, while 806 people were injured.

Porto Alegre, the regional capital, remains partially flooded, with the city's main airport out of service, the historic centre flooded and thousands of points without electricity.

The same situation is repeated in smaller municipalities, such as Rio Grande, about 360 kilometres from Porto Alegre, where rudimentary bridges are currently being built with wooden pallets to connect critical infrastructure.

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