Heavy rains kill 26 in Brazil, prompting cities to cancel Carnival

More than two dozen people have died in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, including a 7-year-old girl, in rains so severe that six cities had to cancel Carnival.

The dead numbered at least 26 in two cities in the northern part of Sao Paulo state as floods and landslides inundated the region. The 7-year-old girl died in the city of Ubatuba, the mayor said, while 25 people died in Sao Sebastiao, officials in both places said.

Sao Paulo state has declared a state of calamity for 180 days for six cities due to the extreme weather, which officials described as unprecedented, according to Reuters.

Rescuers struggled to find those who were still missing, injured or likely to buried in the rubble of damaged buildings, officials said. In Sao Sebastiao, 50 houses collapsed in landslides, according to Mayor Felipe Augusto.

Parts of the state got hit with 23 inches of rain in one day, among the highest amounts ever recorded for this time of year in Brazil.

The army sent two planes and rescue teams to the region at the request of the state’s Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas. Houses were flooded to the roof, TV footage showed, while landslides and floodwaters blocked a main road connecting Rio de Janeiro to Santos, Latin America’s largest port. Wind gusts interrupted operations for Santos and generated meter-high waves, Reuters reported.

An undetermined number of tourists who were already in town for Carnival are stranded, the outlet noted.

“Our rescue teams are not managing to get to several locations; it is a chaotic situation,” said Augusto. He posted videos in his social media feeds of the widespread destruction.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is spending Carnival in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia, plans to visit the main ravaged areas on Monday.

Several federal ministries have been mobilized to assist victims and start reconstruction work, especially in restoring infrastructure.

With News Wire Services