According to the authorities, dozens of houses were damaged on Wednesday and around 300 residents of the city of Petrópolis near Rio de Janeiro, which is popular with tourists, were made homeless. The city government declared a state of emergency. Pictures circulating on the internet showed destroyed houses, cars swept away by the flood waters and flooded shops.
Pictures circulating on the internet showed destroyed houses, cars swept away by the flood waters and flooded shops. Special teams with boats and all-terrain vehicles searched for possible other victims. 400 soldiers were dispatched to support the search and rescue teams. Aid organizations called for donations.
According to the weather service, up to 260 millimeters of rain fell in some parts of Petrópolis within a few hours, more than usual for the whole of February.
Resident Wendel Pio Lourenco said he walked the streets at night and found a girl buried “alive”. “Everyone says it looks like a war zone,” added the 24-year-old. The city with its 300,000 inhabitants was declared a “disaster area”. The city council ordered three days of mourning.
President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently on a state visit to Russia, called on his ministers to provide “immediate assistance” to the victims of the accident. Bolsonaro spoke of a “tragedy”.
Petrópolis is a popular tourist city in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro State. There is the summer residence of the former imperial court of Brazil.
In January 2011, more than 900 people died in the mountain region when heavy rains caused floods and landslides.
Earlier this month, there were landslides and floods in Brazil after heavy rains. 28 people were killed in the state of Sao Paulo.
Source: Nachrichten
