Brazil: At least 20 Dead of Falls Rains and Floods · Global Voices

At least 20 people died in the fierce late-week hit by the southeastern part of the country, especially the state of Rio de Janeiro. Rescue teams work under torrential rain to help victims of severe bad weather in southeastern Brazil, where at least 20 people died tragically. In Petropolis, where four people died when a house and a small building collapsed, a group of the French Agency helped yesterday morning rescue a girl who had been trapped for 16 hours under the debris. Her father’s body was found next to her. “Father heroically protected the little girl with his body and she was saved. We feel pain, but we are grateful for this miracle,” said AFP Louis Claudio de Souza, aged 63, a neighbor of the family. Overall, the state of Rio de Janeiro counts eight dead since the start of extreme weather events on Friday night to Saturday, in the cities of Petropolis, Teresopolis, Santa Cruz and Araial do Campo, according to the government. In the neighbouring state of Espirito Santo, a new account announced today by authorities mentions 12 dead. Thousands of people were unable to find shelter because of bad weather, Brazilian president Luis Inassio Lula da Silva said, in a message posted Saturday night to Sunday on platform H. Such tragedies “tense with climate change”, reminded the Brazilian president, in a country that has been at the mercy of natural disasters repeatedly. Two hundred forty one people died in the tourist city Petropolis in 2022, because of the heavy rainfall. Lula also expressed sympathy for the relatives of the victims and assured that the government is working with local authorities to “protect, prevent and repair damage from flooding”. ‘Haotic’ status The governor of the state of Espirito Renato Casagrade described on his side a “a chaotic situation” in the city of Mimozo do Sul, in the northern outskirts of Rio, where the exact number of potential victims from bad weather has not been established. In aerial footage recorded yesterday and broadcast by the fire department, entire districts of the city are distinguished to have sunk under the mudwaters, while only the roofs of the houses can be seen. In other photos, published social media, many vehicles, among them a fire vehicle, have been swept away by mud streams. The streets of Petropolis were converted into rivers, with Rio state governor Claudio Castro characterising on Friday the situation “critical” and declaring the city in an emergency. Yesterday morning, dozens of military and firemen, with the help of dogs, worked frantically despite the torrential rain, broadcast the French Agency. About 90 people were rescued from Friday and public schools were converted into shelters, according to an emergency management committee formed by the government and rescue forces. Stormy winds and heavy rainfall hit the coast near São Paulo, where two children were injured on Friday and remain in hospital. The severe storm follows a wave of heat in the area, where the temperature sense was at 62.3 degrees Celsius in Rio de Janeiro last week.