Death toll rises to 36 due to landslides, floods and rains in southeastern Brazil
The death toll from landslides and floods on the Atlantic coast of the state of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, has risen to 36, according to a local government statement released Sunday night.
The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, announced that he would travel this Monday to the area of the climatic disaster that affected the municipalities of the northern coast of São Paulo, which was full of tourists taking advantage of the extended Carnival holiday.
According to the São Paulo state government statement, 35 people died in the municipality of São Sebastiao and another, a 7-year-old boy, in the municipality of Ubatuba.
“We are summoning the Armed Forces to help rescuers reach the places where there may be victims,” São Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who decreed a state of calamity, told journalists.
The storm affected mainly the coastal municipalities of Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Bertioga, Guarujá, Ilhabela, and Santos, where the largest port in Latin America is located, which had to suspend its activities for some hours this Sunday as a result of the storm.
Most of the deaths occurred in homes that were knocked down by landslides in the hills due to the heaviest rains recorded in the area, home to exclusive beach resorts such as Praia da Baleia, Cambury, and Maresias, one of the essential surfing centers in Brazil.
The landslides and damage to the asphalt have caused the temporary closure of several highway points that link Rio de Janeiro with the city of Santos.
The mayor of São Sebastiao, Felipe Augusto, told the newspaper Folha de São Paulo that it is impossible to reach the city by any road because they are all affected by landslides.
“Many landslides swept away houses, so many people are under the rubble. The situation is chaotic because accessing those places with rescuers is impossible,” he commented.
The rainfall was considered a record for Bertioga and São Sebastiao, 24 hours registered rainfall indexes higher than 600 millimeters.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief