Brazil
Death toll after landslide rises to at least 138
After the landslide in Petropolis, rescue teams continue to search for victims – but there is no longer any hope of survivors
© Mauro Pimentel / AFP
A devastating landslide hit Brazil on Tuesday. So far, the rescue workers have been able to recover 138 dead. There is little hope of survivors.
The death toll from the devastating landslides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro has continued to rise. The authorities said the number of dead on Saturday was at least 138. 26 children are among the victims. The search in the city of Petrópolis for missing people in the rubble of the houses destroyed by the masses of earth continued on Saturday. Four days after the accident, however, there was little hope of finding survivors.
Torrential rain triggered the accident on Tuesday. Roads were swept away to raging rivers, houses and cars were swept away or buried by mud. Head of state Jair Bolsonaro said on a visit to Petrópolis on Friday that the destruction offered an “image almost like that of war”. According to the authorities, the rescuers were able to rescue 24 survivors from the rubble shortly after the landslides. As of Friday evening, more than 200 people were still missing.
Not the first landslide in Petrópolis
Petrópolis is located in the mountains of the state of Rio de Janeiro. In the city is the summer residence of the former imperial court of Brazil. In January 2011, more than 900 people died in the mountainous region when heavy rains caused flooding and landslides.
Earlier this month, there were landslides and floods in Brazil after heavy rains. 28 people were killed in the state of São Paulo. In the past three months, there have also been heavy rains in the states of Bahia in the north-east and Minas Gerais in the south-east, killing dozens.