Victims of deadly rain buried in Rio de Janeiro as death toll climbs to 140

PETROPOLIS: The death toll rose to 140 from heavy rains and mudslides in Petropolis in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, the Civil Defense said on Saturday (Feb. 19).

Attempts to find survivors and removal of victims’ bodies continued on the fifth day of the disaster but were interrupted around 1:45 pm after the rain began again.

According to the Civil Defense, alert sirens were triggered and two warnings have already been sent by SMS and in communication groups with the communities to inform the formation of rain as the soggy soil and the return of rain represent risks of new landslides.

According to the latest data from the municipality, 72 victims were buried in the downtown cemetery.

The Secretary of State for the Civil Police of Rio said in a statement that until the Legal Medical Institute (IML) of Rio de Janeiro had received 133 corpses and three remains. Among the victims, 82 are women and 51 were men. The total number of people rescued alive remains at 24.

IML identified 91 bodies of victims of the tragedy so far, added the statement.

A total of 967 people were housed in shelters and 191 are still reported missing, though authorities have yet to determine an official number.

Authorities have declared a “state of disaster” in the region and urged residents in risky areas to go to places being used as shelters.

Schools and universities were turned into support points where the homeless were sheltered and aid provided to the needy.

Authorities said Tuesday that Petropolis saw enough precipitation in six hours for the entire month of February.

Since Tuesday the Military Fire Department of the State of Rio de Janeiro has been carrying out search and rescue work for victims for 24 hours. More than 500 soldiers work in actions distributed across all critical locations.

More than 900 people died in a flooding tragedy in the city in 2011 and over 100 others went missing.