At least thirteen people lost their lives during a violent storm that hit southeastern Brazil on Friday, particularly the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state where authorities described the situation as “critical”.
The Rio state government has confirmed four deaths in the collapse of a house and a small building in Petrópolis, a tourist town about 70 km from the state capital.
An AFP team witnessed on Saturday morning the rescue of a little girl who had been buried for sixteen hours under the rubble, and the discovery of her father's body near her.
“Intense rain” and river overflow
“The father heroically protected the little girl with his body and she was saved (…) We are in pain, but grateful for this miracle,” Luis Claudio de Souza, 63, neighbor and owner of the property, told AFP. 'a neighborhood bar.
The situation in Petropolis is “critical”, due to “intense rains and the overflowing of the Quitandinha River”, Governor Claudio Castro warned on Friday on social networks.
In total, Rio state has recorded seven deaths since Friday due to rains, including others in Teresópolis, Santa Cruz da Serra and Arraial do Cabo, according to the government.
Furthermore, the civil defense of Espírito Santo confirmed four deaths in the south of the territory on Saturday afternoon.
Two more children died Friday in rain-related incidents on the Sao Paulo coast.
The storm is due to the arrival of a cold front which wreaked havoc mid-week in Rio Grande do Sul (south), then affected Sao Paulo and Rio, before reaching Espírito Santo, explained the meteorologists from the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet).
A “severe” storm yet anticipated
The severity of the floods was illustrated by aerial images showing the town of Mimoso do Sul under water, released by firefighters.
Inmet forecasts had anticipated a “severe” storm, particularly in Rio, with precipitation of 200 mm of rain per day between Friday and Sunday.
This volume exceeds the historical average of 141.5 mm estimated for the entire month of March.
The storm comes after a heatwave in the region, where a felt temperature of 62.3ºC was recorded on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil, which is suffering the effects of climate change, is plagued by repeated natural disasters.
More than 230 people died in Petropolis in 2022 following heavy rains.