Three dozen dead as Brazil rains cause calamity on Carnival holiday weekend
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Military police helping flood victims in the municipality of sao Sebastiao, north coast of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Feb 19.
PHOTO: AFP
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SAO PAULO - Heavy rains in coastal areas of Brazil’s south-east have caused flooding and landslides that killed 36 people and dislodged hundreds of others, according to a statement from the Sao Paulo state authorities on Sunday.
Rescue workers continue to look for victims, reconnect isolated communities and clear roads, some of which remain blocked, trapping an undetermined number of tourists who travelled for Brazil’s Carnival celebrations.
Weather forecasts show heavy rains will continue in Sao Paulo’s coastal area, challenging civil defence and fire department rescue teams and raising the prospect of a higher death toll.
The federal government determined the mobilisation of several ministries to assist victims, restore infrastructure and start reconstruction work.
Sao Paulo state declared a 180-day state of calamity for six cities after what experts described as an unprecedented, extreme weather event.
On Monday, Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas will meet federal officials as they coordinate the response to the tragedy, the statement said.
Operations at the port of Santos, Latin America’s largest, were interrupted amid wind gusts exceeding 55kmh and waves more than 1m high on Saturday, according to a local news outlet.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was spending Carnival in Bahia state in Brazil’s north-east, is set to visit the main affected areas on Monday, his office said.
Extreme weather events fuelled by climate change are taking a heavy toll on Brazil.
Torrential rains in 2022 in the city of Petropolis
