At least 38 dead, fears of higher death toll after floods and mudslides in Brazil
- The state fire department said late on Tuesday that more than 180 soldiers were already working in the stricken Petropolis region
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on a trip to Russia, said on Twitter that he instructed his ministers to deliver immediate support to those affected
The death toll from devastating mudslides and floods that swept through a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state has reached 38, local authorities said on Wednesday.
The city of Petropolis was slammed by a deluge on Tuesday, and Mayor Rubens Bomtempo said the number of dead could rise as searchers picked through the wreckage.
The state fire department said late on Tuesday that more than 180 soldiers were already working in the stricken Petropolis region, which saw hundreds of deaths from heavy rainfall in 2011.
The department said the area got 25.8cm (just over 10 inches) of rain within three hours on Tuesday – almost as much as during the previous 30 days combined.
Footage posted on social media showed cars and houses being dragged away by landslides and water swirling through the city of Petropolis and neighbouring districts.
Petropolis’ city hall said in a statement that the heavy rains left “a high number of incidents and victims” and that rescue and recovery efforts were continuing.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on a trip to Russia, said on Twitter that he instructed his ministers to deliver immediate support to those affected.
“May God comfort the family members of the victims,” he wrote.