Brazil flooding death toll rises to 64 as search efforts continue

Government agency says more extreme weather expected after rains trigger floods, landslides in Minas Gerais state.

The death toll from landslides and flooding in eastern Brazil has risen to 64, as authorities continue to search for survivors.

The update on Friday came days after a long period of heavy rain in the state of Minas Gerais, with the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba particularly hard hit.

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The state’s fire department said five more people are still missing. More than 5,500 people have been forced to leave their homes.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s meteorology institute, Inmet, has warned of a “great danger” of more inclement weather in parts of Minas Gerais, as well as in the neighbouring states of Rio and Sao Paulo along Brazil’s Atlantic coast.

It also highlighted further risks of landslides, river overflows and major flooding.

On Saturday, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to visit Minas Gerais to meet with local leaders, according to a statement from the presidential palace.

Residents carry away their belongings at a site where homes collapsed due to heavy rains and flooding in the Parque Burnier neighbourhood of Juiz de Fora, in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state [Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo]

The statement said Lula “will fly over areas affected by heavy rains” and meet with the mayors of Juiz de Fora, Uba and Matias Barbosa.

The federal government has authorised the release of approximately 3.4 million reais ($660,000) for reconstruction efforts and humanitarian assistance.

Lula’s meeting with the mayors will take place in the city hall of Juiz de Fora, where about a quarter of the population – about 540,000 people – live in places identified as being at risk for natural disasters related to land and water, according to a 2023 report from the Brazilian government agency Cemaden.

Video footage taken Thursday evening showed brown water flowing through the tourist hot spot of Paraty, located in southeastern Brazil. Authorities told residents to steer clear of flooded areas and hillsides as well as to avoid sheltering under trees due to a risk of lightning strikes.

Collapsed homes are seen after heavy rains and severe flooding in the Parque Burnier neighbourhood of Juiz de Fora in the state of Minas Gerais [Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press]

Scientists say extreme weather is happening more frequently due to human-caused climate change.

On Friday, Greenpeace Brazil posted on Instagram a call for action to better prepare cities for the ravages of extreme weather.

“Avoiding tragedies like the ones currently happening in cities in Minas Gerais and other states needs to be a priority,” the nonprofit said. “Disasters are also the result of political choices.”

The deaths in Minas Gerais come nearly two years after flooding in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state devastated the area, leaving at least 185 people dead.