After the devastating landslide in Brazil, the death toll is increasing.
Rio de Janeiro – The death toll from the devastating landslides and floods in Brazil has continued to rise. So far, 186 bodies have been recovered in the hardest-hit city of Petrópolis, north of Rio de Janeiro, the authorities said on Tuesday. 69 people were still missing, with the number steadily decreasing as the bodies recovered were identified.
Rescue teams continued to search the rubble of the houses destroyed by the earth masses on Tuesday. A week after the accident, however, the authorities no longer expected to find any survivors. Among the dead were 33 minors.
Brazil frequently hit by landslides
Torrential rain triggered the accident in Petrópolis on Tuesday a week ago. Roads became raging rivers, houses and cars were swept away or buried under mud. More than 1200 people had to leave their homes. 850 of them still live in emergency shelters.
Earlier this month, there were landslides and floods in Brazil after heavy rains. 28 people were killed in the state of São Paulo. In the past three months, there have also been heavy rains in the states of Bahia in the north-east and Minas Gerais in the south-east, killing dozens. (ktho/afp)
