Zürcher Nachrichten - Race to find survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 104

EUR -
AED 3.854634
AFN 73.461721
ALL 98.037149
AMD 413.853114
ANG 1.889248
AOA 959.725761
ARS 1067.352297
AUD 1.647665
AWG 1.89007
AZN 1.787783
BAM 1.951923
BBD 2.116616
BDT 125.271189
BGN 1.95388
BHD 0.395734
BIF 3039.748131
BMD 1.049456
BND 1.408715
BOB 7.24382
BRL 6.313316
BSD 1.048328
BTN 88.888146
BWP 14.22429
BYN 3.430651
BYR 20569.32966
BZD 2.113084
CAD 1.485452
CDF 3012.987272
CHF 0.928133
CLF 0.037111
CLP 1024.01657
CNY 7.620726
CNH 7.637041
COP 4571.428571
CRC 526.060164
CUC 1.049456
CUP 27.810573
CVE 110.454934
CZK 25.073282
DJF 186.509404
DKK 7.457111
DOP 63.544384
DZD 140.327979
EGP 53.142118
ERN 15.741834
ETB 133.397733
FJD 2.428235
FKP 0.828353
GBP 0.822993
GEL 2.948849
GGP 0.828353
GHS 15.479649
GIP 0.828353
GMD 75.560438
GNF 9056.801697
GTQ 8.076958
GYD 219.252882
HKD 8.161181
HNL 26.579209
HRK 7.486039
HTG 137.309895
HUF 410.001123
IDR 16750.937951
ILS 3.751185
IMP 0.828353
INR 89.001809
IQD 1373.272437
IRR 44182.080597
ISK 145.958119
JEP 0.828353
JMD 164.273723
JOD 0.744166
JPY 159.962256
KES 135.871127
KGS 91.100861
KHR 4220.910393
KMF 489.177491
KPW 944.509638
KRW 1500.417178
KWD 0.322816
KYD 0.873598
KZT 547.493016
LAK 22959.273899
LBP 93875.923833
LKR 304.205793
LRD 188.173426
LSL 18.688881
LTL 3.098769
LVL 0.634805
LYD 5.111072
MAD 10.48404
MDL 19.168658
MGA 4916.422502
MKD 61.544094
MMK 3408.590835
MNT 3566.050055
MOP 8.39273
MRU 41.794582
MUR 48.95714
MVR 16.157899
MWK 1817.758892
MXN 21.107732
MYR 4.652214
MZN 67.032521
NAD 18.688881
NGN 1625.764534
NIO 38.57302
NOK 11.703545
NPR 142.219881
NZD 1.812218
OMR 0.40399
PAB 1.048258
PEN 3.909747
PGK 4.240658
PHP 61.254102
PKR 291.575779
PLN 4.271279
PYG 8200.71193
QAR 3.821945
RON 4.969903
RSD 116.986979
RUB 110.721337
RWF 1460.854165
SAR 3.943958
SBD 8.798169
SCR 15.903535
SDG 631.24967
SEK 11.518982
SGD 1.410742
SHP 0.828353
SLE 23.925457
SLL 22006.564068
SOS 599.755529
SRD 36.946111
STD 21721.611972
SVC 9.172956
SYP 2636.788517
SZL 18.679256
THB 35.529315
TJS 11.457979
TMT 3.683589
TND 3.308412
TOP 2.457933
TRY 36.596122
TTD 7.114936
TWD 34.074764
TZS 2492.458136
UAH 43.773857
UGX 3835.38225
USD 1.049456
UYU 45.858916
UZS 13486.213985
VES 51.475442
VND 26645.677555
VUV 124.593477
WST 2.929651
XAF 654.681639
XAG 0.032864
XAU 0.000386
XCD 2.836206
XDR 0.795528
XOF 654.65051
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.757471
ZAR 18.576046
ZMK 9446.363488
ZMW 28.854789
ZWL 337.924273
  • RBGPF

    -1.1800

    59.32

    -1.99%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    7.28

    +1.37%

  • CMSD

    -0.0900

    24.3

    -0.37%

  • SCS

    0.0800

    13.24

    +0.6%

  • RELX

    0.3800

    47.45

    +0.8%

  • NGG

    -0.8030

    60.137

    -1.34%

  • RIO

    0.1250

    64.945

    +0.19%

  • BCC

    1.2420

    143.672

    +0.86%

  • VOD

    -0.0600

    8.78

    -0.68%

  • GSK

    -0.7150

    34.495

    -2.07%

  • CMSC

    0.0140

    24.634

    +0.06%

  • AZN

    0.1000

    67.28

    +0.15%

  • BCE

    -0.4050

    26.055

    -1.55%

  • BTI

    0.1090

    37.839

    +0.29%

  • JRI

    -0.0100

    13.3

    -0.08%

  • BP

    0.1850

    30.285

    +0.61%

Race to find survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 104
Race to find survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 104

Race to find survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 104

Rescuers raced against the clock Thursday to find survivors among the mud and wreckage caused by devastating flash floods and landslides that killed 104 people in the picturesque Brazilian city of Petropolis.

Text size:

Streets were turned into torrential rivers of mud burying houses and sweeping away cars, trees and just about everything in their path in the hillside tourist town north of Rio de Janeiro.

With dozens still reported missing and more rain looming, fears that the toll could climb sent firefighters and volunteers scrambling through the remains of houses -- many of them in impoverished hillside slums.

As rescue helicopters flew overhead, residents shared stories about loved ones or neighbors swept away.

"Unfortunately, it is going to be difficult to find survivors," Luciano Goncalves, a 26-year-old volunteer, told AFP, completely covered in mud.

"Given the situation, it is practically impossible. But we must do our utmost, to be able to return the bodies to the families. We have to be very careful because there are still areas at risk" of fresh landslides, he added.

Sansao de Santo Domingo, a military policeman aiding the effort, managed to save a small grey dog from the rubble of a house.

"He was scared, he tried to bite me when I arrived. He was defending his territory, because he knew that his masters had been buried below, in the mud," he said.

- 'Scene from a war' -

Some 500 firefighters resumed the search early Thursday after breaking for a few hours due to the instability of the water-soaked soil in the city of 300,000 inhabitants some 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.

Civil defense authorities have warned of more heavy rains later Thursday, and the government has said there is a high risk of new landslides.

This was the latest in a series of deadly storms -- which experts say are made worse by climate change -- to hit Brazil in the past three months.

About two dozen people have been rescued alive, but dozens remain missing, possibly more than 130.

About 700 people have been moved to shelters, mainly in schools, officials said.

Charities have called for donations of mattresses, food, water, clothing and face masks.

Governor Claudio Castro of Rio de Janeiro state said the streets of Petropolis resembled "a scene from a war," adding these were the heaviest rains to hit the region since 1932.

The "historic tragedy" was made worse, Castro added, by "deficits" in urban planning and housing infrastructure.

The effects of uncontrolled urban expansion, said meteorologist Estael Sias, hit the poor hardest when disaster strikes.

"Those who live in these regions at risk are the most vulnerable," he said.

"Not to mention that we are experiencing an economic crisis as a result of the pandemic that made everything worse because the number of people who left areas that were not at risk to settle in areas of risk undoubtedly increased," he explained.

City hall declared a "state of disaster and declared three days of mourning.

- 'Tragedy' -

Petropolis -- the 19th-century summer capital of the Brazilian empire -- is a popular destination for tourists fleeing the summer heat of Rio.

It is known for its leafy streets, stately homes, imperial palace -- today a museum -- and the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains.

President Jair Bolsonaro, on an official trip to Russia, said on Twitter he was keeping abreast of the "tragedy."

Experts say rainy season downpours are being augmented by La Nina -- the cyclical cooling of the Pacific Ocean -- and by climate change.

Last month, torrential downpours triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 28 people in southeastern Brazil, mainly in Sao Paulo state.

There have also been heavy rains in the northeastern state of Bahia, where 24 people died in December.

Petropolis and the surrounding region were previously hit by severe storms in January 2011, when more than 900 people died in flooding and landslides.

jhb-pt-lg-pt/mm/mlr/st

A.Ferraro--NZN