At least 25 people have died in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais after heavy rains on Monday evening caused floods and several landslides.
Most deaths were reported in the city of Juiz de Fora, where officials say 18 people were killed, while another seven deaths were reported in Ubá.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with workers and residents searching for dozens of people reported missing after several homes and buildings collapsed overnight.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims and those who lost their homes. He also said that the government had declared a “state of calamity” in Juiz de Fora
In a post on X, Lula said he had mobilised the wider government to support those in the region and said his focus was on providing humanitarian assistance and supporting reconstruction efforts.
He added that the government would act with the “speed and force this moment requires”.
Around 440 people have been left homeless or displaced in Juiz de Fora alone, with the local government providing temporary shelter and asking for donations of water, food, clothing and hygiene supplies.
Mayor Margarida Salomão said the tragedy was the “saddest” moment in her five years in local government and declared three days of official mourning in memory of all the people in Juiz de Fora who lost their lives.
She said children were among those who died in Juiz de Fora, but the city has so far not released any further official information on the victims’ identities.
Valtencir Coutinho de Miranda made a plea on live television as he searched for his six-year-old daughter who is among those missing.
Holding a shovel in his hand among the mud and debris left by a landslide, he told TV Globo: “We are here to find her, with God giving us strength and comforting our hearts, so that we may find her alive.”
A man who helped rescue a four-year-old child and three adults from an area of Juiz de Fora affected by landslides told local media he was still searching for his nephew.
“In that moment you don’t choose who you help, you just do your best to help,” he said in tears.
Videos shared on social media showed widespread devastation caused by the rain, with muddy waters carrying vehicles and other debris through the city and several buildings collapsing.
A video taken in Ubá showed several caskets being carried by the stream as flooding hit a funeral home in the city.
An image shared by local government showed the impact of the heavy rains on a hill above Juiz de Fora, called Morro do Cristo, with waters eroding a deep gorge through the middle of it.
Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema said the state was experiencing a “sad day” and offered his solidarity to the families affected by the intense downpours.
Local officials say this has been the rainiest February in the history of Juiz de Fora, with the current rainfall in the region already more than double the amount expected for the month.
On Tuesday, the country’s national meteorological institute issued a heavy rain alert for all of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and 12 other Brazilian states.
It is currently summer in Brazil – and peak rainy season, with thunderstorms, flooding and landslides a common sight in the country.
In 2024, almost 200 people were killed in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, with heavy rains, flooding and landslides impacting more than two million people.
By BBC News
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