At least 36 dead from heavy rains in Brazil this weekend

A strong storm with “record” rains caused at least 36 dead during carnival weekend on the coast of the state of Sao Paulowhere the death toll is feared to rise, authorities reported on Sunday.

In the municipality of San Sebastianlocated about 200 km from the capital of São Paulo, so far 35 deaths have been recorded, the state government reported in a statement at the end of the day.

As, a girl died in the city of Ubatubahe added.

“Unfortunately, we are going to have a lot of deaths”said the head of the State Civil Defense, Henguel Pereira, in statements published by the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper.

Besides, there are some 228 deportees and 338 evacuees in the coastal region north of the capital, where the state of calamity has been declared in five municipalities.

The number of injured and missing has not been specified by the authorities, who are working around the clock to help the victims.

The teams “continue during the night (of this Sunday) and early in the morning with search, rescue and rescue activities”, said the government of Sao Paulo.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will travel to the affected area on Monday morning, having landed from Bahia around 10:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) in Sao Paulo, his office reported.

“Tomorrow (Monday) I will go to Sao Paulo to visit the region and support the efforts to deal with this tragedy”, wrote on Twitter the president, on rest since Friday.

The scenario is dark in Sao Sebastiao, where about fifty houses were washed away by the waters and “there are still people buried,” Mayor Felipe Augusto said.

This municipality, on the beaches of which many inhabitants of São Paulo spend the carnival holidays, was the hardest hit: more than 600 mm of rain fell in 24 hours (more than double what was forecast for the month ), said the town hall.

These volumes were “exceptional and breaking records”said Augusto, who described an “extremely critical” situation.

The National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) maintains heavy rain alerts in the region until Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Carnival celebrations have been halted in Sao Sebastiao and other cities.

Images released by local media and social media users show entire neighborhoods under water; mud furrowed slopes; debris from houses swept away by landslides; sunken roads and cars wrecked by fallen trees, among other signs of damage.

Lula promised in another social media post to “bring together all levels of government” to “treat the injured, search for the missing, restore roads, energy and telecommunications connections.”

The damage in sight has not yet been measured. “We have not yet been able to assess the extent of the damage. The priority is to rescue the victimsAugustus said.

More than 130 teams supported by 23 vehicles and seven aircraft They act as part of a joint operation of civil defence, military police, firefighters and the Brazilian army, the state government detailed. Another 80 police officers will join them on Monday.

The Governor of Sao Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitaswhich flew over the affected area this Sunday, released 7 million reais (about 1.5 million dollars) for rescue missions.

The national government has also made funds available to deal with the emergency.

“There will be no shortage of resources,” he said. GloboNews the Minister of Regional Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, who will visit the flooded region on Monday.

Amid images of destruction, authorities highlighted the rescue of a two-year-old boy who was covered in mudand a pregnant woman in labor.

Brazil is experiencing the effects of climate change, with increasingly frequent extreme events, such as in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, where more than 230 people died following heavy rains in February 2022.

(With information from AFP)

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