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Death toll from flooding in Brazil rises to 44 | Floods News

Rescue work continues after heavy rain caused floods and landslides in the coastal area of ​​Sao Paulo state.

Number of people killed by floods and landslides in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo rose to 44 as rescuers continued to search for survivors.

In a statement on Tuesday, the state government said nearly 2,500 people remained homeless or displaced due to the disaster, with rescue work ongoing. Many roads in the area were also blocked by landslides.

“There’s no way to go anywhere,” Gabriel Bonavides, who was in a rented house with friends when the disaster struck, told AFP. “We left the car there and had to return by boat.”

The town of Sao Sebastiao was hardest hit, with 43 of 44 people killed after a stream of mud and debris swept through the town, flooding homes and forcing residents to search through the rubble. .

The flooding comes after the town received a record 600mm (24 inches) of rain in just 24 hours. Surveying the damage and meeting with local officials on Monday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the tragedy underscore the need for more careful construction practices.

Disasters can become more dangerous when combined with factors such as poor construction or development in flood-prone areas.

About 9.5 million people in Brazil are estimated to live in high-risk areas. flood and landslides, many of them in impoverished communities with improvised construction.

The Sao Paulo region is also a popular holiday destination during the Brazilian Carnival and attracts visitors with its famous beaches.

Festival events have been canceled in affected areas such as Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga.

Landslide visible on hillside in San Sebastiao
Landslide occurred in Sao Sebastiao, Brazil, after heavy rain on February 20 [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]

Lula promised that Sao Sebastiao can “trust the federal government” in a Twitter post on Monday and said in a speech the same day that the town would be rebuilt with houses erected. in safer areas.

Authorities said more than 760 people were left homeless in the disaster and more than 1,730 had been temporarily evacuated.

Early Tuesday, residents of Juquehy near Sao Sebastiao were worried as fresh rainfall led to more landslides. About 80 people have fled their homes, but no casualties have been reported.



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