The human toll could increase, no information having been communicated at this stage on the number of missing and injured.
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Scenes of desolation. At least 38 people lost their lives following torrential rains which caused landslides and floods in Petropolis, near Rio de Janeiro, Civil Defense announced on Wednesday February 16 in this tourist city of Brazil.
The balance sheet has more than doubled since the day before (18 dead) in this locality which received in less than six hours more rain than those which are usually observed for the whole month of February, according to the meteorological agency Metsul. The human toll could increase, no information having been communicated at this stage on the number of missing and injured.
Brazil has been hit this rainy season with particularly severe rainfall – also in Bahia in the northeast and Minas Gerais in the southeast – which experts have linked to climate change.
Specialized search and rescue teams have been sent to reinforce the rescue operations, with the support of 4×4 vehicles and boats. Huge amounts of mud have engulfed homes and ripped off tin roofs litter the ground. A large flow of water still flows from the hills. Many cars were violently swept away by the current. Shops were completely flooded.
The town hall of Petropolis decreed a “state of calamity” on Tuesday evening to deal with the emergency. From Russia, where he is visiting, President Jair Bolsonaro has asked his ministers on Twitter to bring “immediate aid to victims”. The rains have ended but more are expected.