RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A girl died on Thursday, June 3, and at least three other people were injured when a four-story residential building collapsed in Rio de Janeiro. However, there may still be more victims in the rubble, according to official sources.
Six teams of firefighters and ambulances went to the favela neighborhood of Rio das Pedras, located in the west zone of the capital of Rio de Janeiro, and have been working on the search and rescue work since early morning.
One of the fire department officers, Colonel Leandro Monteiro, declared to journalists that the victim is a girl between 2 and 3 years old. Four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to 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’s a very delicate job, a lot of patience. Our dogs are helping quite a bit. We are dealing with information all the time,” Monteiro told the Globo TV network.
According to witness statements, loud noises were heard around 2 AM local time and the building collapsed at 3:20 AM.
A fire has also been recorded on the premises, but it has already been brought under control by firefighters.
Although the authorities did not report the causes of the collapse, the deputy mayor of the west zone of Rio, Thalita Galhardo, did not rule out that the premises are an irregular construction, as usually happens with buildings constructed in that area.
“Unfortunately, the constructions here do not have legality, and these types of accidents end up happening,” said Galhardo in an interview with Globo.
The building that collapsed Thursday was located in the same region of the community of Muzema, also in the favela of Rio das Pedras, where the collapse of two irregularly constructed buildings left 24 dead in April 2019.