Severe drought affects Brazilian state

A severe drought is affecting Manaquiri, a small riverside city in the Brazilian State of Amazonas. Residents say natural disasters like this have happened every year since 2005, but many are still surprised by the magnitude.

Hundreds of dead fish have washed up along the Manaquiri river. The contamination has left thousands of people without a water supply. Some parts of the river dried up completely, forcing a state of emergency declaration and the cancelation of classes for 2,500 children who depend on boats to reach schools. Experts blame high temperatures and low water levels for the large scale of fish deaths. They say water levels will only return to normal in January, when the next flooding period begins.