Death toll reaches 27 after heavy rainfall in southern Brazil
The death toll after landslides caused by heavy rainfall in Brazil’s southern coastal region of Baixada Santista has risen to 27, and 43 others are missing, Sao Paulo authorities said Thursday.
The state civil defence agency and the fire department said that around 50 homes had been destroyed by landslides in the coastal town of Guaruja, meaning that the death toll and the number of people missing could still rise.
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Hundreds of people have had to leave their homes in the region, and local authorities have distributed humanitarian aid materials including mattresses, blankets, food and clean water.
Rainfall between late Monday and Tuesday exceeded the amount forecast for the entire month of March.
The period from December to April is generally the wettest across southern Brazil. Scores of people have died in flooding and landslides since the beginning of the year. (dpa)
