Xinhua 2023:02:25.10:03
SAO PAULO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) — The death toll from mudslides that hit the coast of Brazil’s southeastern state of Sao Paulo over the weekend due to rain rose to 54, while rescuers continue the search for dozens of people who disappeared under mountains of mud, the authorities confirmed on Friday.
Rescue teams have identified 13 minors among the deceased, the Sao Paulo state government detailed in a statement.
Last weekend, the municipalities of Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Caraguatuatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga were badly hit by intense rains in the region, which in less than 24 hours doubled what was expected for the whole of February and marked the highest historical record in Brazil.
The heavy rains caused landslides in the Sierra del Mar along the coast – where major tourist resorts are located – that washed away slum houses built on the slopes of the hills.
According to the official report, around 4,000 people had to leave their homes or lost them.
At the heart of the disaster is Vila do Sahy, the hardest hit community, located next to the exclusive beaches of Baleia and Cambury in the municipality of Sao Sebastiao.
The Brazilian government has moved the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier to the port of Sao Sebastiao, 190 kilometers from the city of Sao Paulo, as a center for medical and food supplies to the population.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this week also proposed to the Mayor’s Office of Sao Sebastiao building houses in flat areas and outside risk areas for those who have lost their homes.
For his part, the governor of Sao Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, acknowledged that the system of alerting the population through telephone announcements when evacuating risk areas in the face of floods and landslides was not having the desired effect.
The governor therefore suggested installing a siren system in the area, as is already the case in other landslide-prone mountain towns during the southern summer rainy season.
(Web Editor: Rosa Liu, Zhao Jian)