Skip to main content
Daily Mirror

Premier League legend Diego Costa rescues 100 stranded people as floods strike Brazil

Diego Costa was returning home from training with Gremio when he was asked to help victims of the floods in Brazil, with the former Chelsea star helping to save 100 people

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 23: Diego Costa of Botafogo looks on during a first leg quarter final match between Botafogo and Defensa y Justicia as part of Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2023 at Estadio Olímpico Nilton Santos on August 23, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Diego Costa jumped into action to aid rescue efforts in Brazil after devastating floods hit the country(Image: Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Former Chelsea star Diego Costa has helped to rescue 100 people stranded by devastating floods in Brazil, where he now plays.

Costa won two Premier League titles with Chelsea before returning to Atletico Madrid where he won La Liga. He now plays in Brazil for Gremio, who he joined from Botafogo earlier this year.


The country has been hit by devastating floods this week, which have left 83 people dead, 276 injured and a further 111 missing. The region of the Rio Grande do Sul is the worst affected, with the region's Civil Defence estimating at least 121,000 people had been displaced.


More than half of the 497 cities in the state have been affected by the storms, with roads and bridges destroyed. The storms have also caused the collapse of a hydroelectric dam near the city of Bento Goncalves, with a second dam at risk of failing.

READ MORE: Watch the climax of the Premier League title race and Champions League with TNT SportsREAD MORE: Jamie Carragher's Man Utd rant in full as he slams two flops and offers Erik ten Hag verdict

According to Cadena SER, Costa was returning home from training when he came across a group of people from Eldorado do Sul who asked for help. The veteran striker immediately asked how he could assist.

The group told him of a number of people who had been cut off by the floods and needed rescue. The 35-year-old did not hesitate and made his jet ski available, as well as mobilising four friends who brought motorcycles to aid the rescue efforts.

Article continues below

In total they are estimated to have saved the lives of 100 people, who had been left in difficulty by the storms. Costa was hailed for jumping into action by those he helped to save.

Costa used his truck and a jet ski to help rescue people
Costa used his truck and a jet ski to help rescue people

One witness said: "I'm 56 years old and I travel with Geral (the Grêmio fan club) for everything. What Diego did today, I had never seen before. He arrived a few months ago, left his truck in the water and took his jet ski and those of his friends."


Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region for a second time on Sunday, along with defence minister José Múcio and finance minister Fernando Haddad. The governor of the Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, paid tribute to those who have helped the victims.

"The strength of people brings us hope. There are more than 350 thousand lives saved to date. A total mobilisation of security forces and volunteers in all cities. I really want to thank all Brazilians for their generosity towards us. We will recover our future and our Rio Grande do Sul," he said in a statement.

Content cannot be displayed without consent

"Considering that the floods reached very populated regions and that we have a large concentration of people in shelters, I asked the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to send reinforcements from the National Force.

"The State government mobilises its entire workforce, including calling in employees who were on vacation and paying overtime. We have a strong team on the field, but it is important to reinforce it even more and we ask for the support of 400 members of the National Force and 120 vehicles."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Article continues below
Follow Daily Mirror:


Premier LeagueDiego CostaBrazil
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.