At least five dead after new storm in Petrópolis

A new storm that hit the city of Petrópolis, in the mountainous region north of Rio de Janeiro, left at least five dead on Sunday (Mar. 20). So far, the Fire Department teams have managed to rescue 31 people alive. According to the Municipal Civil Defense, until early this morning (21), 95 incidents had been registered, most of them landslides.

The downfall comes more than a month after the storm that left 233 dead and four people missing on February 15 this year.

The location with the highest rainfall index until early this morning had been São Sebastião, where 415 millimeters of precipitation fell.

Also reported were over 400 people who had to leave their homes and move to special assistance stations.

“It was a difficult day, especially after 3 pm, when Petrópolis was once again assailed by heavy rain. More than 300 millimeters hit the city,” said Mayor Rubens Bomtempo, in a video posted on his social network in the early hours today.