[jintsy]

How bout that rain?

[docfr8]

RIP

[hughjardon67]

Pretty comprehensive post, well done by all. Thank you!!

[William May]

Was this due to a dam burst?

[SimoneFlen']

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The death toll from mudslides in Brazil's colonial-era city of Petropolis rose to 104 on Thursday and was expected to increase further, with the local morgue being forced to use a refrigerated truck as a back up as more victims were found.

More than 500 rescue workers, along with neighbors and relatives, were still searching for possible survivors, the emergency services said. A preliminary tally suggested at least 35 more people missing.

"Working overnight, with poor lighting and soggy ground, is always a challenge. But I'm determined to work tirelessly in our search for survivors," Rio de Janeiro's civil defense head Leandro Monteiro said.

At least 13 children are among the dead, officials said.

They said the authorities were releasing the first bodies for funeral proceedings as families faced the devastation and identified the victims at the morgue that said it was running out of space and had to use the refrigerated truck as well.

The downpours, which on Tuesday alone exceeded the average for the entire month of February, caused mudslides that buried homes, flooded streets, washed away cars and buses and left gashes hundreds of yards wide on the region's mountainsides. read more

It was the heaviest rainfall registered since 1932 in Petropolis, a tourist destination in the hills of Rio de Janeiro state, popularly known as the "Imperial City" as it was the summer getaway of Brazilian royalty in the 19th century.

More than 420 people had to leave their homes, taking shelter in local schools and other makeshift accommodation. Rio Governor Claudio Castro on Wednesday compared the damage to a war zone.

Thursday morning brought sunshine to the region, but the weather forecast pointed to more rainfall later in the day. Power distribution has not yet resumed across Petropolis.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has promised to help the region and said he would visit the affected areas on Friday, on his return from an official trip to Russia and Hungary.

Since December, heavy rains have triggered deadly floods and landslides across much of Brazil, threatening to delay harvests and briefly forcing the suspension of mining operations in the state of Minas Gerais, just north of Rio.

[kellyhound]

Until 19:30 this Thursday (17/2), 117 deaths were confirmed. The Whereabouts Discovery Police Station (DDPA) reported that 116 people remain missing.

Firefighters continue to search for victims. In the city, the scene is war. In addition to the lives lost, dozens of houses were torn down. The force of the water “swept away” everything in its path, as shown in videos taken by residents.

Among the dead are at least eight children. Of the 101 bodies at the Legal Medical Institute (IML), 65 are women and 36 men.

[icehole]

OMG. That place is just waiting for a sequel of disaster like this

[jenna_live]

That's just awful. I'm a huge fan of nature

[houseoftechno]

There is something especially vulgar about a news reporter wearing a covid mask and sticking her mic in the face of a despondent disaster survivor.

[gorefanatic]

Amazing work Simone, that's some crazy footage.