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Weather: At least 25 dead in storms in Brazil

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Weather
At least 25 dead in storms in Brazil

Heavy rain has caused flooding, flash floods and landslides in parts of Brazil. photo

© Bruna Prado/AP/dpa

March is a rainy month in Brazil. In the hinterland of Rio de Janeiro, floods left death and devastation in their wake.

Severe storms are in the southeast At least 25 people have died in Brazil. 17 deaths were registered in the state of Espírito Santo, including 15 in the town of Mimoso do Sul, the Agência Brasil news agency reported, citing the local civil protection authority. The remaining eight victims were reported in the neighboring state of Rio de Janeiro. According to Agência Brasil, four people were killed in a landslide in the popular tourist resort of Petrópolis.

Heavy rain from Saturday night (local time) led to flooding, flash floods and landslides. According to a civil defense spokesman, more than 5,400 people were brought to safety in Espírito Santo, Brazilian media reported. More than 250 people lost their homes. On Sunday, despite persistent rain, helpers reportedly reached areas that had previously been cut off due to floods and power outages.

In Petrópolis, around 70 kilometers north of the coastal metropolis of Rio de Janeiro at an altitude of over 800 meters, more than 300 liters of rain per square meter fell in 24 hours, according to the report. In addition to its lush vegetation, the city is known for the 19th century palace of the Brazilian Emperor Pedro II and the house of the writer Stefan Zweig, who committed suicide there in 1942 out of despair at the world situation.

It is now late summer in the southern hemisphere, and heavy rainfall is common in tropical latitudes at this time of year. In Rio, bossa nova legend Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) once sang about her in the song “Águas de Março” (Water of March).