Rio de Janeiro: The death toll from heavy floods and landslides in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has risen to 117. 116 people are missing.
The death toll is expected to rise, officials said. The bodies of the dead are buried in the ground. Many houses were destroyed. Video footage of vehicles, including cars and buses, being swept away by the floodwaters is circulating. Many buildings are underground. This is the first time in decades that the city has received such heavy rainfall.
Three days of mourning were declared in Petropolis for the tragedy. In Petropolis, 25.8 cm of rain fell in three hours on Tuesday. It was raining. More than 200 troops are on the rescue. Petropolis is known as the royal city of Brazil. It is named after Pedro II, the last emperor of the Brazilian Empire.
It is considered to be the safest city in the country and is mostly inhabited by people of German descent.
Southeastern Brazil received heavy rainfall earlier this year. This caused flooding in many places. At least 40 people have been killed in floods in the state of Mina Geris earlier this year. The current flood is the rest of it.