Death toll from landslides, flooding climbs to 24 in Brazil
The death toll from landslides and flooding set off by heavy rains in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state has reached 24 as firefighters continue pulling bodies from the mud
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The death toll from landslides and flooding set off by heavy rains in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state reached 24 on Monday as firefighters continued pulling bodies from the mud.
Brazil’s most populous state was blasted with rain over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes. The death toll had stood at 19 late Sunday, according to a statement from the civil defense authority.
”(I’m looking for) my nephew, his wife and a 2-year-old child,” Cicero Pereira, 54, told The Associated Press beside a disaster site in the city of Franco da Rocha. “They said the bodies are still there under the mud, but until now they couldn’t recover them.”
Nelito Santos Bonfim, a 69-year-old resident, told AP he barely escaped with his life.
“When I started running, the debris fell all over me,” Bonfim said. “I got hurt, but found a hole and, thanks to God I managed to escape. But my father is still there.”
A total 27 cities were affected, of which Franco da Rocha suffered the greatest loss of life. Gov. João Doria used a helicopter to survey damaged areas Sunday and announced the equivalent of $2.8 million in financial aid to affected cities.
Alessandro Lima de Freitas, a coordinator for firefighters working to retrieve bodies, updated his list of missing people in Franco da Rocha. He told reporters that the concentration of rain was much heavier than locals are used to.
Southeastern Brazil has been punished with heavy rains since the start of the year, with 19 deaths recorded in Minas Gerais state earlier this month.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.