SAO PAULO, March 12, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Floods caused by torrential rain in
and around Brazil’s financial hub Sao Paulo killed 12 people and hurt six
others overnight, firefighters said Monday.
In the town of Riberao Pires on the periphery of the country’s most
populated city, four members of one family died and another two were injured
when a house collapsed around midnight.
Another landslide killed one person in Embu das Artes, while three
neighbors drowned in Sao Caetano do Sul, one in Sao Paulo, two in nearby
Santo Andre and one more in the industrial city of Sao Bernardo do Campo,
authorities said as they provided an updated toll.
Firefighters had to rescue several people stranded by the water and mud in
Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city and financial capital, with more than 20
million people.
The late summer rains submerged several neighborhoods and blocked major
arteries into the sprawling metropolis, cutting train and bus services in
some areas.
Rescue teams had to travel using canoes through the streets turned into
brown water channels.
There were also mudslides in parts of the city, with more heavy rain
forecast for later Monday. Governor Joao Doria asked residents to stay in
their homes as much as possible.