No fewer than 94 people have been killed in mudslides and floods that smashed through a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil, local authorities have confirmed.
The disaster in the city of Petropolis followed three hours of torrential rain on Tuesday, and Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro said the number of dead could rise as searchers pick through the wreckage. Almost 400 people have been left homeless, he revealed.
‘The situation is almost like war … Cars hanging from poles, cars overturned, lots of mud and water still,’ Castro told reporters at the scene.
Video posted on social media which was sighted by Africa Today News, New York showed cars and houses being dragged away by landslides, and water swirling through Petropolis and neighbouring districts.
She was clutching two bags in which she had stuffed some clothing when emergency officials ordered everyone in the area to evacuate. Some 25.8 centimetres (more than 10 inches) of rain fell on the Petropolis area in the space of just three hours on Tuesday – almost as much as during the previous 30 days combined.
‘When the rain was falling hardest, a huge amount of mud came pouring down the hillside, and some tree branches fell on my house,’ said the 32-year-old manicurist, on the verge of tears.
Petropolis’s city hall said in a statement the deluge left “a high number of incidents and victims” and that rescue and recovery were continuing.
The state fire department said more than 180 soldiers had been deployed while civilians had also joined official recovery efforts.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on a trip to Russia, said on Twitter he had instructed the government to deliver immediate support to affected communities.
‘May God comfort the family members of the victims,’ he wrote.
Southeastern Brazil has been inundated with heavy rains since the start of the year, with more than 40 deaths recorded between incidents in Minas Gerais state in early January and Sao Paulo state later the same month.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK