Portugal's armed forces are sending two ships with helicopters and medical supplies to Madeira island, where floods have killed at least 32 people.

葡萄牙马德拉群岛发生洪涝灾害，造成至少32人死亡，当局派遣两艘载有直升机和医疗用品的舰船进行援助。

Flood aftermath

Extra search and rescue teams were expected to arrive on Sunday to help clean up after mudslides（泥流） and raging floods tore through towns on Saturday.

Officials fear the death toll¹（死亡人数） could rise. Water, power and phones were cut in some areas.

PM Jose Socrates, who is in Madeira, said he would "do everything to help".

The storms were the worst there since October 1993, when eight people died.

"So far we have confirmed 32 deaths but eventually the number may increase," regional official Francisco Ramos was quoted as saying by Portuguese² newspaper Publico.

Madeira is located about 900km (560miles) from the Portuguese mainland and is popular with foreign tourists.

Officials say the extra emergency teams being sent include 56 military rescuers with search dogs and 36 firefighters.

Portuguese Interior Minister Rui Pereira, who has also flown to the island, said forensic³（法院的，辩论的） experts would conduct post-mortem examinations（验尸） to allow funerals to take place soon.

He added: "We are studying the possibility of declaring a state of emergency and then seeking help from the European Union."

The regional capital, Funchal, among the worst affected⁴ areas by Saturday's floods and mudslides.

Television pictures showed muddy torrents⁵（激流， 奔流） coursing down narrow channels and spilling over the sides, roads awash（被浪冲打的） with water and streets littered with debris（碎片，残骸） .

'Ghost town'

Trees have been brought down and cars swept away, blocking roads and hampering⁶ relief（救援，减轻） teams. Some bridges and roads have been washed away.

British holidaymaker（度假者，假日游客） Cathy Sayers told the BBC Funchal was like a ghost town. She said the infrastructure⁷ had been wrecked⁸.

"The drains just cannot cope with the water that's coming down from the mountains - they are just overfilled（满溢） with sludge."

There had not really been any warning that it would be quite so bad, she said.

"I think everyone is extremely shocked that this has happened at this time of year," she said.

The president of the regional government, Joao Jardim, said outdoor markets would be encouraged to reopen.

"We don't know how much it will affect the tourism, but there is no point in dramatising the situation too much," he said.

Local media say the authorities' main concern now is for residents of Nuns⁹ valley - an isolated¹⁰ mountainous region that rescue workers have been unable to reach.

The BBC Weather Centre says the severe weather was due a low pressure system, and that while Madeira can expect further rain with heavy downpours（倾盆大雨） on Sunday, there is no danger of a repeat of the flash floods（骤发洪水） .