President Lula's government dismissed Uruguay's offer of help to help rescue flood victims in Rio Grande do Sul. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSDB), had requested support from the Uruguayan authorities last Saturday, 4.

The order included two motorized boats with their crews, two drones with Uruguayan operators to search for isolated people and a Lockheed KC-130 H Hercules transport plane, which could transport the boats to the affected regions and also help transport humanitarian donations collected. in Uruguay.

Although the Uruguayan government gave the green light to loan the equipment, according to a report by Folha de São Paulo, the Brazilian federal government refused the offer on the grounds that the equipment was not necessary at that time.

“We received unofficial information that the [operational] command in Rio Grande do Sul thought it was not necessary,” he told Sheet José Henrique Medeiros Pires, executive secretary of the government of Rio Grande do Sul.

What the PT government says

According to Ministry of Defense, the offer was rejected due to restrictions on available runways for landing in Porto Alegre. The ministry stated that Brazil has a KC-390 aircraft that meets transport needs, as it can land on smaller runways and transport larger loads.

However, Pires highlighted that there are other operational airports in Rio Grande do Sul able to receive the Uruguayan aircraft. During a hearing in the Senate, he mentioned the Uruguayan offer and asked for speed from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency, linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to authorize the boats' entry into Brazil.

Argentine help

The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided a brigade of 20 soldiers and dogs from the Argentine Federal Police, logistics specialists from the State's humanitarian assistance team, a plane to transport people or cargo, three helicopters to evacuate people from affected areas, a mobile health team, local Navy tactical divers, boat engineers and water purification tablets.