Death toll from heavy rains rises in Brazil

At least 35 people have died in recent hours due to the heavy rains that quickly hit the Brazilian city of Petrópolis, creating, according to official sources, an “almost war” situation.

Petrópolis, some 70 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, accumulated 259 millimeters of rain in six hours on Tuesday afternoon and night, according to civil defense sources, and more rainfall is also expected for this Wednesday, although in a somewhat moderate.

Sources from the Mayor’s Office of Petrópolis and the Government of the state of Rio de Janeiro put the number of deaths recorded so far at 35, although it is not ruled out that the number of victims will increase throughout the day.

The mayor’s office declared a state of public calamity in order to care for the victims and facilitate rescue work.

According to official sources, at least 171 landslides have been registered in the Petrópolis region. The houses destroyed are close to two hundred, according to a provisional balance.

In declarations to the journalists, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, described the situation as “almost war”. “We’ve seen overturned vehicles, a lot of mud and still a lot of water,” he added.

The governor pointed out that the tragedy broke out “overnight,” and indicated that in just two hours the water fell reached 200 millimeters.

The 259 millimeters accumulated in six hours in Petrópolis was even more than what was forecast for the entire month of February, which was 238 millimeters.

“It is an absurd amount and unfortunately not all the people could be saved,” he added.

This is not the first time that the mountainous region of Rio has been hit by strong storms, since in 2011 it was the scene of the greatest climatic tragedy ever recorded in Brazil, when the storms left more than 900 dead and a hundred missing. (I)