Brazil: at least 34 deaths in Petropolis due to floods – Close up

(ANSA) – RIO DE JANEIRO, FEBRUARY 16 – Yet another tragedy linked to bad weather in the ‘Regiao Serrana’ (mountainous region) of Rio de Janeiro: at least 34 people have died and an unknown number are missing in Petropolis, the imperial city a little more an hour’s drive from the carioca metropolis. The provisional number of victims, caused by landslides and floods following heavy rains, was confirmed this morning by the Secretary of Civil Protection of Petropolis, Gil Kempers. The colonel of the fire brigade, Leandro Monteiro, reported that one of the most critical points is the Morro da Oficina where the avalanche of stones and mud has destroyed several houses. “In five hours, more than 200 millimeters of rain fell, more than expected throughout February,” said Kempers. The local municipality has meanwhile decreed a state of public calamity and announced the suspension of school activities. It is not the first time that the area has been hit hard by bad weather: in 2011 landslides and floods caused about 900 deaths in Petropolis and other cities in the area. Last month, however, heavy rains hit the states of Minas Gerais, San Paolo and Espirito Santo, also in the south-eastern region, with a toll of a few dozen deaths. (HANDLE). XCL-YDP / S0B QBXB (ANSA).