The storm that hit the historic Brazilian mountain town of Petropolis - located in the hills north of Rio de Janeiro - on Tuesday (Feb. 15), left at least 105 dead, according to information released on Thursday (Feb. 17) by the state Civil Defense. The Civil Police is working to speed up the recognition and release of bodies.
Firefighters are on their third day of search. 24 people had been rescued until last night (Feb. 16). Local authorities have released a list with the names of more than 30 missing persons.
Over 20 landslides across the city have been reported. Oficina hill is one of the most affected areas where dozens of houses have been buried. There were also cases of people being carried away by the floods on the streets.
Almost 400 people had to leave their homes and are staying in shelters or with relatives and friends.
The governor of Rio de Janeiro Cláudio Castro said this has been the worst rain in the region since 1932. Other disasters had already occurred in the mountains of Rio. In 1988, 134 were killed in Petrópolis. In 2011, 918 people died and dozens disappeared, mainly in Nova Friburgo and Teresópolis.
