Deadly flooding, landslides strike Brazil

World Sunday 26/January/2020 10:17 AM
By: Times News Service
Deadly flooding, landslides strike Brazil

Two days of torrential downpours have unleashed heavy flooding and landslidesin southeast Brazil, killing at least 30 people, according to authorities.

Civil defense officials said another 17 individuals were listed as missing following the landslides and building collapses.

An additional 2,600 residents have been evacuated from their homes in the state of Minas Gerais, where regions have been devastated by the heavy rains.

Fatalities were reported in Belo Horizonte, the state's capital and largest city, where a new record was set for the greatest amount of rainfall in a 24-hour period. Additional deaths were reported in the state's interior areas.

The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeau Zema, will fly over the flooded area on Sunday to evaluate the damage.

More rain is expected in the area, as well as in other parts of Brazil including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.

The deadly floods came the same weekend that Brazilians were commemorating the deaths of 270 killed one year ago when a dam burst in the municipality of Brumadinho, also in Minas Geiras.