Petrópolis continued to count new deaths, this Thursday (17), which now reach 104, due to the torrential rains that punished this city in the state of Rio de Janeiro last Tuesday (15), while rescuers and volunteers continue the search for missing people. in a pressing struggle against time.
“So far, we have a record of 104 dead. There are 24 rescued alive by firefighters”, informed the Civil Defense of this mountain town 68 km north of the capital, Rio.
Authorities have not yet officially released the number of missing, but the Public Ministry said last night that 35 people had been “registered” as missing in its location service.
The dramatic toll of casualties continues to rise as the hours pass, after the worst storm in 90 years occurred on Tuesday afternoon. The intense rains caused nearly 300 landslides in various parts of the city.
On Thursday morning, several residents also continued to search for the missing along the overflowing rivers that washed away everything in their path and left a trail of houses reduced to rubble, reported AFP reporters at the scene.
“I grew up here, I know everyone. I came to help the (rescue) personnel. It’s surreal. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to find someone alive,” Luciano Gonçalves, 26, told AFP, covered in mud and with a hoe in his hand, as he digs up the earth.
Others, who lost their family members, remained seated in front of their houses, with their eyes lost in the midst of so much destruction.
About 500 firefighters resumed rescue work at dawn after stopping briefly overnight due to unstable ground.
– “More heavy rains”
The federal government warned on Wednesday of a “very high” risk of new landslides in the mountainous region of Rio, “especially in Petrópolis”, due to the forecast of more rains for the next few days and possible new “floods”.
According to the Civil Defense, “heavy rains are forecast for the afternoon and evening” today, which could further complicate rescue tasks, involving dogs, tractors, trucks, boats and a dozen aircraft.
According to experts, the tragedy is the result of a combination of factors, including excessive rainfall, the region’s topography and the existence of large communities of precarious houses, many of them built illegally, in steep areas of risk.
Some points in Petrópolis received up to 260 millimeters of rain in less than six hours, a volume higher than the historical average for the entire month of February (240 mm), according to data from the MetSul meteorological agency.
“It was the worst rain since 1932,” Rio governor Claudio Castro declared on Wednesday.
In the last three months, Brazil has gone through episodes of intense rains, especially in the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, which left dozens of deaths and caused numerous damages in hundreds of municipalities.
Scientists say that, as a result of climate change, extreme weather events will become more and more frequent.
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