A A strong storm hit the southeast of Brazil and caused at least nine deaths and left dozens injured. Most of the victims were reported in Rio de Janeirowhere the authorities deployed a large operation this Saturday.
The city government of Brazil He reported that Three people died in the collapse of a house in Petrópolis, a city located about 70 kilometers from the state capital. The authorities assured that in that area the situation is “criticism“due to the “heavy rains and the overflowing of the Quitandinha River.”
Storm in Brazil: 9 dead, injured and destruction
One of the images that caused great impact was that of a firefighter holding a girl in his arms. The minor was trapped for 16 hours after the storm and the rescuers managed to save her: “The father heroically protected the girl with his body and she was rescued alive (…) We are in pain, but grateful for that miracle,” Luis Claudio de Souza, a resident of the place, told AFP.
The images that were released by local media showed rivers of water and mud going down the streets of Petrópolis. In addition, part of the municipal cemetery waswashed away by water.
Meanwhile, emergency vehicles took to the streets to assist the population, who continued to face risks.”very tall” of new landslides, according to authorities.
For its part, an emergency committee of the government of Rio de Janeiro reported that a total of 90 people managed to be rescued and were transferred to public schools that are being used as shelters.
Although the authorities tried minimize the impact of rain with preventive measures As administrative holidays decreed for Friday, deaths the same way. One of them was that of a man, who died struck by lightning in Arraial do Cabo Itwo in Santa Cruz da Serra and in Teresópolosaccording to the government.
Furthermore, in Sao Pablo, two children aged 3 and 9 died from a roof blown off and a wall fallingin two separate events, according to the Civil defense.
Storm in Brazil: alert continues
In Petrópolis, the rains accumulated 270 millimeters in 24 hours and the alert remains in force until Sunday in the southeast of Brazil. The truth is that the storm took place after a heat wave that crossed the country in recent days.
In Rio, the wind chill reached a record of 62.3ºC, and Sao Paulo recorded the hottest month of March. As explained by the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), the rains are due to the arrival of a cold front that caused havoc in Rio Grande do Sulthen whipped sao Pablo and Rio and advanced towards the state of Holy Spirit.
In the last times, Brazil has suffered consequences of extreme phenomena related to climate change, according to experts. Among them, strong storms, droughts and heat waveswith a great impact on the most vulnerable population.
Source: Ambito
