At least eleven people lost their lives during a violent storm which hit the south-east of Brazil on Friday March 22, particularly the mountainous region of the state of Rio de Janeiro where the authorities describe the situation as ” critical “.
The Rio state government has confirmed four deaths in the collapse of a house and a small building in Petropolis, a tourist town about 70 kilometers from the state capital.
A team from Agence France-Presse (AFP) witnessed on Saturday morning the rescue of a little girl who had been buried for sixteen hours under the rubble, and the discovery of her father’s body near her.
“The father heroically protected the little girl with his body and she was saved (…) We are in pain, but grateful for this miracle”Luis Claudio de Souza, 63, a neighbor and owner of a bar in the area, told AFP.
The situation in Petropolis is ” critical “because of “intense rains and the overflow of the Quitandinha river”warned Governor Claudio Castro on Friday on social networks.
In total, the state of Rio has recorded seven deaths since Friday due to the rains, including others in Teresopolis, Santa Cruz da Serra and Arraial do Cabo, according to the government. Furthermore, the civil defense of Espírito Santo confirmed four deaths in the south of the territory on Saturday afternoon. Two children were also injured and hospitalized Friday in rain-related incidents on the coast of Sao Paulo.
230 dead in Petropolis in 2022 after heavy rains
The storm is due to the arrival of a cold front that wreaked havoc mid-week in Rio Grande do Sul, in the south of the country, before hitting Sao Paulo and Rio and reaching Espirito Santo, they said. explained meteorologists from the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet).
The severity of the flooding was illustrated by aerial images released by firefighters, showing the town of Mimoso do Sul under water.
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Inmet forecasts anticipated a storm ” severe “, particularly in Rio, with precipitation of 200 millimeters of rain per day between Friday and Sunday. This volume exceeds the historical average of 141.5 millimeters estimated for the entire month of March.
The storm comes after a heatwave in the region, where a felt temperature of 62.3°C was recorded on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil, which is suffering the effects of climate change, is plagued by repeated natural disasters. More than 230 people died in Petropolis in 2022 following heavy rains.