Death toll from landslides, flooding climbs to 24 in Brazil

Associated Press
Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 8:52 p.m. | Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 8:52 p.m.

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A volunteer searches for people in the rubble Monday after heavy rain triggered a landslide in Franco da Rocha, Sao Paulo state, Brazil.

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Firefighters search for landslide victims Monday after heavy rains in Franco da Rocha, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. At least 24 people have died in cities in the interior of Brazil’s largest state, Sao Paulo, after landslides caused by heavy rains that have hit the region since Saturday.

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Firefighters search for people Monday in the rubble of a residential area after heavy rains triggered a landslide in Franco da Rocha, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains have killed at least 24 people and forced about 500,000 families from their homes, authorities said.

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A firefighter and a search dog look for landslide victims Monday after heavy rains in Franco da Rocha, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. At least 24 people have died in cities in the interior of Brazil’s largest state, Sao Paulo, after landslides caused by heavy rains that have hit the region since Saturday.

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Firefighters search Monday for people in the rubble of a residential area after heavy rains triggered a landslide in Franco da Rocha, Sao Paulo state.

FRANCO DA ROCHA, Brazil — The death toll from landslides and flooding set off by heavy rains in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state reached 24 on Monday as firefighters continued pulling bodies from the mud.

Brazil’s most populous state was blasted with rain over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes. The death toll had stood at 19 late Sunday, according to a statement from the civil defense authority.

“(I’m looking for) my nephew, his wife and a 2-year-old child,” Cicero Pereira, 54, told the Associated Press beside a disaster site in the city of Franco da Rocha. “They said the bodies are still there under the mud, but until now they couldn’t recover them.”

Nelito Santos Bonfim, a 69-year-old resident, told AP he barely escaped with his life.

“When I started running, the debris fell all over me,” Bonfim said. “I got hurt, but found a hole and, thanks to God, I managed to escape. But my father is still there.”

A total 27 cities were affected, of which Franco da Rocha suffered the greatest loss of life. Gov. João Doria used a helicopter to survey damaged areas Sunday and announced the equivalent of $2.8 million in financial aid to affected cities.

Alessandro Lima de Freitas, a coordinator for firefighters working to retrieve bodies, updated his list of missing people in Franco da Rocha. He told reporters that the concentration of rain was much heavier than locals are used to.

Southeastern Brazil has been punished with heavy rains since the start of the year, with 19 deaths recorded in Minas Gerais state earlier this month.