Southeast Brazil was hit by strong storms that left at least nine people dead, after several landslides and collapses that destroyed homes and They left more than 10 people trapped.
These storms arrived after extreme temperatures were recorded last week, exceeding 60 °C, in cities such as Rio de Janeiro.
The intense rainfall triggered landslides and collapses, especially in the mountainous area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, where entire communities were buried under tons of rubble, leaving more than ten people trapped inside.
After these events at least nine people lost their liveswith reports indicating three deaths in the collapse of a house in lto the city of Petrópolislocated about 70 kilometers from the capital of Rio.
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A statement issued by an emergency committee formed by the government of Rio together with the Firefighters and Civil Defense forces reported on this critical situation.
The governedr Cláudio Castro described the seriousness of the situation in Petrópolis, where “heavy rains and the overflowing of the Quitandinha River” pushed the authorities' response capacity to the limit.
A massive deployment of resources, including the military with dog teams and the provision of public schools as shelters, reflects the magnitude of the disaster.
Until Saturday morning, around 90 people were rescued alive from the rubble.
Images captured by local media show rivers of water and mud ravaging the slopes of Petrópolis, a tourist destination that has not yet fully recovered from a similar disaster that left 241 dead in February 2022.
The magnitude of the rains, which accumulated 270 millimeters in just 24 hours, according to estimates by the Rio government, far exceeds the historical average for the month of March.
This natural disaster is not only limited to Rio de Janeiro; other towns such as Santa Cruz da Serra and Teresópolis also suffer the fatal consequences of the storms, with additional victims recorded in these areas.
This natural disaster takes on an even greater scope in the state of Sao Paulo, where the ravages of the climate have also left their mark, with the death of two children, ages 3 and 9, after the blowing up of roofs and fall of walls, in two different events.
(With information from AFP)
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