36+ Dead as Heavy Flooding and Landslides Hit Brazil
● Twice the expected amount of rainfall for the month came in 24 hours ● 36+ dead, 228 homeless, 338+ evacuated during the disaster ● 180-day state of calamity declared
Flooded motorway at Sao Paulo. (Punch News)
Flooding and landslides triggered by torrential rain in Brazil claimed at least 36 lives on Carnival weekend in southeast Sao Paulo State, authorities said on Sunday. This forced some citizens to cancel annual Carnival Celebrations.
Meanwhile, officials say another 228 people have been left homeless, with 338 more evacuated from coastal regions north of São Paulo.
Twice the expected amount of rain for the month (23.6 inches) fell in the areas on Sunday.
TV and social media footage showed neighborhoods underwater, debris after houses were swept away, and flooded motorways.
"Unfortunately, we are going to have many more deaths," a civil defense official told the newspaper Folha de São Paulo.
More heavy rain is expected in the area, threatening to make conditions even worse for emergency teams.
A 180-day state of calamity was declared by Sao Paulo state Governor Tarcisio de Freitas in six towns in the state. He had also released the equivalent of $1.5m (£1.2m) in funding to aid in disaster relief.
