Photo : Collected
A powerful storm has claimed at least a dozen lives in southeastern Brazil, mostly in the mountainous parts of Rio de Janeiro state, where authorities on Saturday deployed rescue teams to deal with a "critical" situation.
The deluge came as Brazil, South America's largest country, suffers through a recent string of extreme weather events, which experts say are more likely to occur due to climate change.
At least eight people have been killed in the state of Rio de Janeiro, officials said, while the neighboring state of Espirito Santo has confirmed at least four dead and seven missing.
Such environmental tragedies "are intensifying with climate change," President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, adding that thousands had been left homeless by the storm.
He expressed sympathy for the victims, and said his government was working with state and local authorities to "protect, prevent and repair flood damage."
Four of the deaths in Rio state occurred when the storm caused a house to collapse in the city of Petropolis, 70 kilometers (45 miles) inland from the capital.
A team witnessed the rescue of a girl Saturday morning who had been buried more than 16 hours in the rubble.
Her father, who was found dead next to her, "heroically protected the girl with his body," a neighbor and owner of a local bar told AFP.
"We are in pain, but grateful for this miracle," said Luis Claudio de Souza, 63.
Farther up the coast, in the state of Espirito Santo, officials have thus far reported four deaths.
The state's governor Renato Casagrande described a "chaotic situation" in the town of Mimoso do Sul, with the number of fatalities there yet to be determined.
And in Sao Paolo state, two children were hospitalized for injuries sustained during the storm on Friday.
Late Friday, Rio Governor Claudio Castro said the situation in Petropolis was "critical" due to "intense rains and the overflowing of the Quitandinha River."
Messenger/Fameema
