Cars carried down the hill together with mud and debris are piled up among houses on a hillside outside Funchal. Picture: AP/Octavio Passos

THOUSANDS of Islanders faced an agonising wait for information from Madeira today following the weekend’s devastating storms.

Three days of national mourning are being held in Portugal following the tragedy.which has resulted in 42   deaths in the island. More than 100 people are known to have been injured, and many are also believed to be homeless.

Rivers of rain, mud and rocks crashed into the capital city of Funchal on Saturday morning following a torrential downpour. Other remote areas around the south coast were also cut off for a time and the true extent of the damage in those areas is still being established.

The disaster has deeply affected the Jersey community, which has around 10,000 Islanders with Madeiran or Portuguese connections. An appeal has been in Jersey launched over the weekend, while special prayers were said at St Thomas’ during a Portuguese service yesterday.

• TWO emergency numbers have been issued for Islanders seeking information about loved ones. The numbers to call are:

00 351 291 203 805
00 351 291 203 806

• Help with making contact with relatives and friends in Madeira is being offered by the States Police, who have Portuguese-speaking officers available. They ask anyone needing assistance to call them on 612612.