More Than 200 Deaths Confirmed in Rio de Janeiro Mudslides

More Than 200 Deaths Confirmed in Rio de Janeiro Mudslides
The number of deaths from a series of mudslides in the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro climbed to 223 on Saturday, while emergency workers continued to search for more bodies buried under mud and rocks

RIO DE JANEIRO – The number of deaths from a series of mudslides in the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro climbed to 223 on Saturday, while emergency workers continued to search for more bodies buried under mud and rocks.

Dozens of mudslides have hit hillsides in the Rio metropolitan area since Monday, when the torrential rains that triggered the natural disasters began.

The worst of them struck the shantytown of Morro do Bumba, in the nearby city of Niteroi, where the bulk of the rescue efforts have been concentrated.

Four bodies were found Saturday under piles of earth and rubbish that rolled down the hillside and destroyed some 50 houses in the shantytown. The latest fatalities brought to 31 the number of confirmed deaths in that slum, which is particularly unstable, experts say, because it was built on top of an old garbage dump.

Based on estimates by firefighters, authorities say that anywhere from 100-150 bodies could still be buried under the tons of malodorous earth, while rescue workers were battling nausea stemming from their exposure to the methane gas being given off by decomposing garbage.

The earlier intermittent downpours in the region gave way to a warm sun on Saturday and that facilitated the work of the rescue teams, but meteorologists said more precipitation is possible through Tuesday.

Among the bodies found Saturday in Morro do Bumba was that of a six-year-old boy whose father, who was closely following the rescue operations, entered into a state of shock when he was told his son’s lifeless body was found next to the corpse of his grandmother.

In the same area, a woman who had been seeking information for days about 18 relatives who lived on the hillside where the mudslide occurred found her 87-year-old father alive on Saturday.

According to firefighters, of the 223 deaths from mudslides over the past five days, 140 have occurred in Niteroi, 63 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 16 in the city of Sao Gonzalo and the other four in the cities of Petropolis, Nilopolis, Paracambi and Mage.

Rio de Janeiro Gov. Sergio Cabral visited Morro do Bumba again on Saturday, where he said the situation is “calamitous” and announced that more than 200 families who live in another shantytown in Niteroi, Morro do Ceu, will be immediately relocated because of the danger of another deadly mudslide.

Close to 50,000 people have been affected by the torrential rains, flooding and mudslides throughout Rio de Janeiro state, while different sectors have mobilized to donate food, clothing, medicine and other aid.

Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro state, meanwhile, announced that they will investigate potential negligence by authorities in allowing precarious dwellings to be built in high-risk areas.

According to press reports, several mayors not only allowed shantytowns in risky areas to expand but even granted permits for the construction of schools, daycare centers and other constructions in those same zones, even though they were aware of the danger to local inhabitants.

The weather system that battered Rio de Janeiro state has since moved to northeastern Brazil, where it has caused serious flooding but no fatalities.

In Sergipe, the most affected northeastern state, the rains have caused damage to nine municipalities and serious flooding in numerous neighborhoods of the regional capital Aracaju, civil-defense officials said.More Than 200 Deaths Confirmed in Rio de Janeiro Mudslides

Latin American Herald Tribune

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