Flash Floods-Landslides in Brazil Kill 22 People, Dozens More Missing

JAKARTA - A total of 22 people were killed and hundreds of people were displaced in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, after incessant rainfall triggered landslides, and flash floods.

Firefighters and rescue teams raced against time urgently to find dozens of missing residents under the mud.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, February 25, security forces, supported by K-9 special units, remained mobilized throughout the state, although authorities have not confirmed the number of casualties due to flooding.

The industrial city of Juiz de Fora has borne the brunt of the storm. Of the 22 fatalities, 16 occurred in the city, mainly due to landslides that buried houses in a matter of seconds.

The city's main river and its tributaries overflowed, engulfing entire neighborhoods within hours.

February officially became the wettest month in Juiz de Fora's history, with 584 millimeters of rainfall, twice the monthly average. The rain began to fall with sudden intensity on Monday and continued throughout the night.

When the water rose early Tuesday, Juiz de Fora Mayor Margarida Salomao declared a public emergency. The move was designed to secure immediate federal funding and resources.

"The situation is very serious. We are working tirelessly to save lives and reach those trapped," Salomao said in a video recorded in the midst of the emergency response.

The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, has declared three days of mourning. He is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday in Juiz de Fora to oversee a massive rescue operation involving local firefighters and 150 additional officers deployed from neighboring cities.

The sadness was felt most deeply in the Parque Burnier area. Firefighters estimate that at least 17 people are missing, including five children, after a massive landslide destroyed 12 houses on one street.

Rescue teams have pulled nine survivors from the rubble, but sniffer dogs remain the only hope for families waiting for news of their loved ones.

Currently, more than 440 displaced residents are being housed in three public schools, because their homes were destroyed or considered too dangerous to return to.

The Minas Gerais tragedy is part of a pattern in Brazil, where summer rains often prove fatal in densely populated mountainous areas.

Hours before the storm hit Juiz de Fora, flooding in Sao Joao de Meriti, Rio de Janeiro, claimed the life of an 85-year-old woman who drowned in her home. More than 600 residents in the metropolitan area were forced to evacuate.

In Sao Paulo, two people died last week from a similar storm, bringing the death toll in the state to 19 since the rainy season began in December.

Rain is expected to fall again on Tuesday evening, so authorities are on high alert for the possibility of additional landslides.