Emergency teams work to rescue victims who were swept away by the floods from the mud
The tragedy hits Brazil. The heavy rains that have occurred for six hours in the city of Petrópolis, in the southeast of Rio de Janeiro, have devastated the land and left more than a hundred dead in its wake, according to the latest balance released this Thursday by the competent bodies, although the figure could increase. The rescue efforts continue to find another 42 people who are missing in the ‘imperial city’, known for having been the favorite of Pedro II, the last emperor of Brazil.
Petrópolis, one of the most tourist towns in Rio de Janeiro, accumulated up to 259 millimeters of rain in six hours during the afternoon and night of Tuesday, which has caused landslides in various parts of the city, especially in the Alto de la Sierra, a residential area. The authorities have confirmed that of the 104 bodies –101 are in the Institute of Legal Medicine of Petrópolis–, 65 correspond to women and 36 men. Another thirteen are minors. About thirty victims have already been identified by their families.
A total of 500 troops made up of members of Civil Defense, firefighters and relief teams have managed to rescue 24 people alive from the mud and rubble, who have been transferred to hospitals in the city and, in the most serious cases, to Rio de Janeiro. More than 370 families have been evicted after losing their homes, after accounting for 269 landslides and taking into account the risk that more of these phenomena may occur. Despite the situation, many people refuse to leave their homes. Although the imperial palace and the cathedral are still standing, the historic center of the city has been turned into a quagmire.
“It was something out of the ordinary,” said the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Claudio Castro, who stressed that it is the “worst rain since 1932.” President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on an official visit to Russia and Hungary, said that on his return he will fly over the affected area.
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