A four-story building collapsed in Rio de Janeiro: a two-year-old girl died

A girl died this Thursday and at least four more people were injured when a four-story building collapsed in Rio de Janeiro, although there may still be more victims in the rubble, according to official sources. Six firefighting and ambulance teams traveled to the peripheral neighborhood of Rio das Pedras, located in the western part of the capital of Rio de Janeiro, and were working on search and rescue work since this morning.

One of the fire department officers, Colonel Leandro Monteiro, told reporters that the fatality was a girl between 2 and 3 years old. Four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital, although two of them were discharged hours later.

Firefighters, however, believe there are two more victims inside the collapsed building who are being located. “It is a very calm job, a lot of patience. Our dogs are helping a lot. We are dealing with information at all times”, Monteiro told the chain GLM.

According to the statements of some witnesses, loud noises were heard around 2.00 local time (5.00 GMT) and the building collapsed at 3.20 (6.20 GMT). A fire also broke out at the site, which has already been controlled by firefighters.

Although the authorities did not provide details on the causes of the collapse, the deputy mayor of the western area of ​​Rio, Thalita Galhardo, did not rule out that the property is an irregular construction, as is often the case with buildings erected in that area.

“Unfortunately, the constructions here are not legal and this type of accident ends up happening,” said Galhardo in an interview with the same media.

There is already a tragic antecedent in the area. The building that collapsed this Thursday was located in the same region of the Muzema community, also in the peripheral region of Rio das Pedras, where the collapse of two irregularly constructed buildings left 24 dead in April 2019.