The rain storm that hits Brazil leaves at least twelve dead in Rio de Janeiro and Espiritu Santo

MADRID, 24 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least twelve people have died in the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Espiritu Santo as a result of the heavy rains that affect the region, according to authorities.

The number of fatalities in Rio de Janeiro has risen to eight, while the state of Espiritu Santo has reported four deaths, according to sources from the Fire Department reported by the newspaper ‘O Globo’.

Up to four of the victims died due to the collapse of a building in the town of Petrópolis. A four-year-old child has been rescued alive at the scene. Among the deceased is the minor’s father, 25 years old, the Brazilian television network G1 has noted.

The collapse of the three-story property has affected four other people, who have been rescued alive by residents of the area, where so far 109 incidents have been recorded, of which 75 have been landslides.

Meanwhile, in Arraial do Cabo a man has died from a lightning strike and in Santa Cruz da Serra another man has drowned after falling into a river.

In Teresópolis, firefighters are searching for a person who has been trapped under the rubble of a house that collapsed. Two other people have been able to be evacuated alive and there is one confirmed fatality.

Firefighters have carried out more than a hundred exits in the last few hours throughout the state of Rio de Janeiro and at least 90 people have been rescued, according to the region’s Rain Committee.

After the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) already warned on Thursday of the “great danger” that the rains represented in the entire state of Rio de Janeiro, the forecast for this Sunday is for intense rains and lightning, with the most expected moments critical during the morning and afternoon.

Sources from the National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) collected by ‘O Globo’ have assured that it has rained more than twice as much as expected and that Petrópolis, in the Mountainous Region, has recorded more than 340 millimeters of precipitation in 48 hours. Thus, a good part of the state remains on orange alert (moderate risk) and red alert (high risk).

Consequently, the flood and consequent overflow of the Quitandinha River has caused the flooding of numerous streets in the city center, where the businesses that were still operating normally this Friday closed their doors around 4:00 a.m. The city council has established 67 support points to serve the population that may be affected by the rains.

In recent hours, Rio Governor Claudio Castro has further reinforced “its operations in impacted municipalities such as Magé, Guapimirim, Macaé, Bom Jesus do Itabapoana, Itaperuna and Campos dos Goytacazes”.

«We distribute more than 4,000 supplies and more than 2,000 prepared dishes in Petrópolis, Magé, Teresópolis and Cachoeira de Macacu. Among the supplies are hygiene and cleaning kits, water, mattresses, baskets and basic baskets,” Castro said in a publication on the social network .

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