Heavy rains in coastal areas of Brazil’s southeast have caused flooding and landslides that killed 36 people and displaced hundreds of others, according to a statement from Sao Paulo state authorities on Sunday.
Rescue workers continue to look for victims, reconnect isolated communities and clear roads, some of which remain blocked, trapping an undetermined number of tourists who travelled for Brazil’s Carnival celebrations.
Footage shared by the Sao Paulo state government shows wrecked roads and flooded streets across the state’s northern coastal region.
Weather forecasts show heavy rains will continue in Sao Paulo’s coastal area, challenging civil defence and fire department rescue teams and raising the prospect of a higher death toll.
Sao Paulo state government said on Sunday that 35 died in the city of Sao Sebastiao and a seven-year-old girl was killed in neighbouring Ubatuba. Those cities and others that were also hit hard cancelled their Carnival festivities as rescue teams struggled to find people missing, injured and feared dead.
The federal government mobilized several ministries to assist victims, restore infrastructure and start reconstruction work.
Sao Paulo state declared a 180-day state of emergency for six cities after what experts described as an unprecedented, extreme weather event.
Parts of the state received more than 580 millimetres (23 inches) of rain in one day.
On Monday, Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas will meet federal officials as they co-ordinate the response to the tragedy, a government statement said.
Operations at the port of Santos, Latin America’s largest, were interrupted amid strong winds and waves over one metre high on Saturday, according to a local news outlet.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was spending carnival in Bahia state in Brazil’s northeast, is set to visit the main affected areas on Monday, his office said.
