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2:36
Heavy rains leave 78 dead in Brazil
So far the exact number of missing persons in the area is unknown.
About 259 millimeters of rain accumulated in the course of six hours between afternoon and night, in Petrópolis, 70 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro.
The Civil Defense team reported that they expected rain on Wednesday, but not as strong as the previous night.
Heavy rains and hundreds of landslides resulted in 78 deaths in the Brazilian city.
The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, explained that the situation is a war scenario and it is only necessary to see the walls to know how far the water has reached. They're doing a lot of work in the area to get survivors out of the mud.
At the end of the afternoon, Castro reported the figure of 78 deceased. However, this amount is increasing over the hours. He assured that since 1932 such terrible rain had not been experienced.
The Civil Defense team of the Mayor's Office highlighted that 325 incidents occurred in 24 hours. Among them, 269 landslides and collapses of walls, trees and houses.
In the videos shown on social networks, you can see shocking images of the roads of Petrópolis where you cannot travel, since they have been converted into torrential rivers.
Different rescue teams continue to attend to the affected citizens and provide support to all those who are desperately searching for their family and friends.
A resident of the area, Elizabeth Pío Lourenço, 32, stated that no one expected the situation and that it is very desperate, emphasizing that she has missing friends.
Jerónimo Leonardo, another neighbor, explained that he no longer wants to see more rain in his life. On Tuesday, when the heavy rains began, he quickly left his house, which was preserved.
Near the disaster area, the Santo Antonio church decided to open its doors to offer shelter to more than 150 people who evacuated their homes due to flooding or the danger of a temporary landslide. Several schools also offered lodging to the affected people.
Estael Sias, a meteorologist, pointed out that the rainfall has been unusual, and also indicates that it will not be the first nor the last disaster, due to the topographical, climatic and population characteristics of this region.
Scientists also declare that as a result of climate change, such extreme weather events will become more frequent.
In the mountainous region of the state of Rio, in January 2021, 900 people died due to heavy rains, which caused landslides.
