In a few hours, some places in the city received a volume of water higher than what was expected for the whole month of February. At least 18 people died, according to the authorities.
Le Monde with AFP
High rains fell on the tourist town of Petropolis (State of Rio de Janeiro), in Brazil, resulting in landslides and floods. “So far, eighteen deaths (…) have been confirmed,” announced firefighters from Rio de Janeiro in a statement released Wednesday, February 16th.
The Ministry of Regional Development had reported on a balance sheet of six deaths in this mountainous region of the SoutaTe. Firefighters did not advance a balance sheet for the number of people injured or missing.
“Specialized research and rescue teams have been sent to strengthen emergency operations, with the support of 4 × 4 vehicles and boats,” they specified. More than 180 firefighters are on site.
In less than six hours, some points of Petropolis received up to 260 millimeters of water, a volume greater than what was expected for the whole month of February, according to the Metsul Meteorological Agency.
“Calamity state” declared in the city
Images circulated on social networks And in the media, showing homes destroyed by landslides and cars violently swept away by the current. Many shops have been completely flooded by the water that has shown in the streets of the historic center of Petropolis.
Strong temporal caused Destroção Em Petrópolis, No Rio de Janeiro. 18 Mortos Foram Confirmados Pelo Corpo de Bombeir … https://t.co/zhlkxvffh
The municipality has decreed the “state of calamity” to deal with the emergency and the governor of the state, Claudio Castro, visited on the spot to provide support.
from Russia, where he is visiting, the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, wrote on Twitter that he was informed of “tragedy” and asked his ministers to bring “immediate help to victims”. “May God comfort the families of the victims,” he added.
The rains ended but others, “mild to moderate”, are planned for the next hours, warned the town hall. Petropolis, summer residence of the former imperial courtyard, is a tourist destination that attracts a large number of visitors.
In January 2011, more than nine hundred people had perished in the Rio mountainous region due to heavy rains that had provoked floods and landslides in a vast region including Petropolis and Nova Friburgo, Itaipava nearby towns. and Teresopolis.