According to the government, at least 44 people have died and 56 are missing due to torrential rains in northeastern Brazil since Tuesday.
“According to the most recent information I have, 44 dead, 56 missing and 25 injured, 3,957 homeless, and 533 displaced have been registered,” Daniel Ferreira, Regional Development Minister, stated at a Recife press conference.
According to the latest official report, 34 people have been reported dead since Wednesday. There are also more than 1,300 homeless or displaced persons. It is not possible to estimate the number of missing. After a brief pause, around 1,200 men with boats and helicopters resumed their search for missing and isolated persons on Sunday morning.
The storm caused large landslides along hillsides and overflowing rivers, as well as torrents of mud which swept away all that was in their path.
Local authorities released footage on Sunday showing volunteers and rescuers clearing debris from Jardim Monteverde. This is at the border of Recife and Jaboatao dos Guararapes. The greatest tragedy happened in this region on Saturday morning when 19 people were killed by a landslide.
“Although it is not raining right now, we expect heavy rains in the coming days. The first thing is to take self-protection precautions,” stated the minister, who flew over Brazil’s disaster zone with other Brazilian officials.
Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, stated Sunday that he would travel Monday to Recife to witness the “tragedy”. These images recall the tragedy in Petropolis (southeast of Rio de Janeiro), in February when 233 people were killed in torrential rains or mudslides.
