Brazil floods ‘bury families as they sleep’
At least 388 people died as mudslides and floods swept through Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, in one of Brazil’s worst natural disasters for decades, as Alex Thomson discovers.
At least 388 people have been killed as torrents of water and mud swept through the south of Brazil on Wednesday, burying many families as they slept, destroying houses and submerging cars.
Hillsides and river banks in the Serrana region north of Rio de Janeiro came under the equivalent of a month’s rainfall in 24 hours, causing at least one river to burst its banks, rescue officials said.
Television images showed many houses buried in mud as desperate residents and rescue workers searched for survivors.
“There was no way of telling which house would fall. Rich and poor – everything was destroyed,” said Fernanda Carvalho, a domestic worker.
The number of victims is expected to rise as rescuers find more bodies and reach remote areas.
“I saw six bodies on my street.” Antonio Venancio, Teresopolis resident
Mayor Jorge Mario said that about 1,000 people had been left homeless.
“It’s the biggest catastrophe in the history of the town,” he said.
Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian president, signed a decree releasing 780 million reais (£292m) in reconstruction funds for the affected areas. She is due to fly over the region on Thursday.
Witnesses
“I saw six bodies on my street,” said Antonio Venancio, whose house in Teresopolis, 62 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, was inundated with mud but remained standing.
“We just don’t know what to do in the face of something so horrible.”
In the town of Nova Friburgo, three firemen were missing after being buried by a mudslide while they tried to rescue victims, according to fire officials. A three-story house also collapsed on Tuesday, killing three people, including two children.
Many poorer Brazilians are especially vulnerable to landslides because they live in unsafe, illegal housing, often built on hillsides. Major landslides in April in the capital killed 180 people in slum communities.
Floods hit globally
Scientists are still unsure whether there is any link between what has happened in Brazil and Australia’s floods, which have been blamed on weather pattern La Nina. Floods have also hit Sri Lanka in recent days.
Read more: what causes such severe weather?