Downpour Kills At Least 36 In Brazil, Cities Cancel Carnival

This picture supplied by the Sao Paulo Authorities reveals automobiles fallen from an elevated space alongside the seashore in Sao Sebastiao, east of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, after it was broken by a extreme climate system went by way of the realm.

Sao Paulo Authorities by way of AP

SAO PAULO (AP) — Heavy rain prompted flooding and landslides which have killed 36 individuals on the northern coast of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, officers stated Monday, whereas fatalities may rise.

Sao Paulo’s state authorities stated in an announcement that 35 died within the metropolis of Sao Sebastiao and a 7-year-old woman was killed in neighboring Ubatuba. On Monday morning, greater than 500 individuals had been persevering with search and rescue efforts.

Among the hardest-hit cities which can be below a state of emergency, together with Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga, canceled their Carnival festivities as rescue groups contined a seek for the injured and lacking below the rubble.

“Our rescue groups usually are not managing to get to a number of places; it's a chaotic state of affairs,” stated Felipe Augusto, the mayor of Sao Sebastiao. Later, he added there are dozens of individuals lacking and that fifty homes collapsed within the metropolis as a result of landslides.

Augusto posted on social media a number of movies of widespread destruction in his metropolis, together with considered one of child being rescued by locals lined up on a flooded avenue.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Twitter he'll go to the area Monday.

Sao Paulo state authorities stated in an announcement that precipitation within the area has surpassed 600 millimeters (23.6 inches) in in the future, one of many highest quantities ever in Brazil in such a brief interval.

Bertioga alone had 687 millimeters throughout that interval, the state authorities stated.

Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas stated in an announcement he requested help from the military, which despatched two airplanes and rescue groups to the area.

TV footage confirmed homes flooded with solely the roof seen. Residents are utilizing small boats to hold gadgets and other people to larger positions. A highway that connects Rio de Janeiro to the port metropolis of Santos was blocked by landslides and floodwaters.

The northern coast of Sao Paulo state is a frequent Carnival vacation spot for rich vacationers preferring to keep away from large avenue events in massive cities.