At least 24 people died during the weekend of Carnival in southeast Sao Paulo state as a result of flooding and landslides brought on by excessive rain in Brazil, according to authorities.
News and social media footage from the municipality of San Sebastiao displayed numerous damages, including entire neighborhoods submerged under water, hillside house rubble washed away by leaking dirt, flooded roadways, and cars totaled by falling trees.
Mayor Felipe Augusto reported that at least 23 individuals passed away in San Sebastiao. According to news sources, a girl was also killed in the town of Ubatuba.
The state government previously reported that 338 people were evacuated and another 228 were left homeless in the coastal area north of Sao Paulo as rescue workers rushed to aid those affected by the storm.
The number of people who were either missing or hurt was not disclosed by the police.
Tarcisio de Freitas, governor of Sao Paulo state, flew over weather-devastated districts and proclaimed an emergency in five coastal municipalities. He made the equivalent of $1.5 million available for rescue efforts.
On Monday, the region will welcome President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who announced the visit through Twitter. He has been on vacation in the Bahia state of northeast Brazil since Friday.
San Sebastiao, 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Sao Paulo and where many people from the city spend the pre-Lenten holiday weekend on the beach, was hard hit, as a record 60 centimeters (nearly a foot) of rain fell in 24 hours, city officials said.
That is more than twice the amount that normally falls in a month.
Carnival events in San Sebastiao and elsewhere were cancelled.
“We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims,” said Augusto, calling the situation in the town “extremely critical.”
“We are working at nearly 50 residences that collapsed under the force of the water and there are still people buried,” he told Globonews.
More than 100 firefighters were working on the scene, with the aid of helicopters.
In order to assist those harmed by the downpour, soldiers were also competing in the race.
To “take care of the injured, hunt for missing individuals, and restore roads, energy, and telecommunications,” Lula promised, “government at all levels will work.”
Authorities reported that a woman giving delivery and a two-year-old toddler were both saved from a sea of mud amidst the loss and destruction.
Brazil is suffering greatly as a result of extreme weather occurrences brought on by climate change.
More than 230 people died as a result of torrential rainfall in the city of Petropolis last year.
