Sao Sebastiao, Feb. 22 (BNA): The death toll from floods and landslides in the state of Sao Paulo in southern Brazil reached 44 on Tuesday, with the search continuing for dozens who are still missing.
Most of the research has been focused on the mountainous coastal municipality of São Sebastião, where 43 deaths have been recorded. Pedro de Rosario, a Sao Sebastião municipal worker, said firefighters are still hoping to find alive people under the rubble of homes destroyed by landslides over the weekend.
“Hope is the last thing to die, so we have a lot of hope,” De Rosario said. “There are still people buried.”
In a statement, the Sao Paulo state government said seven bodies had been identified and released for burial, while nearly 800 people were left homeless and 1,730 people were displaced.
Members of the armed forces have joined the search and rescue effort, and starting Thursday, the navy will build a 300-bed hospital to assist in relief efforts, Governor Tarcisio de Freitas said at a news conference in Sao Sebastião on Tuesday.
Authorities are digging through mud and clearing roads, but landslides are still blocking parts of the highway linking Rio de Janeiro state with the port city of Santos in Sao Paulo. The other road linking the city of Portega with inland São Paulo remains completely closed.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region on Monday. In remarks to reporters, he called for people living in hilly areas to be moved to safer areas.
Rainfall in São Sebastião exceeded 600 mm (23.6 in) in a 24-hour period over the weekend, among the largest such rainfall ever recorded in such a short period in Brazil.
The Sao Paulo state government said some 7.5 tons of relief items including food, water and hygiene kits have already been distributed to the victims.
The affected area, on the northern coast of São Paulo state and famous for beach resorts surrounded by mountains, is a frequent Carnival destination for wealthy tourists who prefer to get away from the huge street parties in the big cities.
HF