Brazil landslides: Dozens missing; suspected of being buried in mud

View of a heavily flooded area in the Juquehy neighborhood of the Brazilian city of Sao Sebastiao, on the state's ...

The death toll from the weekend landslides that struck coastal towns in Brazil's So Paulo state has increased to 44.

More than 40 more remain unaccounted for.

Rescue personnel and locals are working together to search the mud for survivors.

A record amount of rain fell in the coastal region east of So Paulo, causing torrents of earth and rock to come loose from hillsides and cause more than 750 people to lose their homes.

In just 24 hours, the municipality of Bertioga received more than 680mm (26 inches) of rain, according to meteorologists.

All but one of the fatalities, however, occurred in the town of So Sebastio, located 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bertioga.

Numerous children were victims. When a boulder that weighed two tonnes fell on a girl's house, she died.

A falling tree struck another woman. In the mud that slid down the hillside, the majority of the others were buried.

The "extreme and historic" weather event included not only heavy rains but also high swells that made it difficult for any of the precipitation to drain away, according to meteorologist Marcelo Seluchi, speaking to BBC News Brasil.

The force of the water that came rushing down was too much for many of the makeshift homes built on steep hillsides.

Brazil has an estimated nine million residents who live in flood or mudslide-prone areas.

Some people left their homes to seek shelter in stronger structures because of the forecast for more days of heavy rain.

During the carnival season, families looking to unwind by the sea had been particularly active in the area.

In order to relieve the burden on aid and services in the affected towns, some of the landslide-damaged roads have been cleared, encouraging visitors to head back to their residences.

Brazil frequently experiences flooding and landslides. More than 230 people lost their lives in PetrĂ³polis, north of Rio de Janeiro, last year as a result of mudslides brought on by torrential rains.

Source link

You've successfully subscribed to Webosor
Great! Next, complete checkout to get full access to all premium content.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
Unable to sign you in. Please try again.
Success! Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content.
Error! Stripe checkout failed.
Success! Your billing info is updated.
Billing info update failed.