This photo provided by the Sao Paulo government shows vehicles that fell from an elevated area along the beach in Sao Sebastiao, east of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, after being damaged by a severe weather system that passed through the area.
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This photo provided by the Sao Paulo government shows vehicles that fell from an elevated area along the beach in Sao Sebastiao, east of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, after being damaged by a severe weather system that passed through the area.
PA
SAO PAULO — Heavy rains caused flooding and landslides that killed 36 people in Brazil’s northern state of Sao Paulo, officials said Sunday, and the death toll could rise.
The Sao Paulo state government said in a statement that 35 people died in the city of Sao Sebastiao and a 7-year-old girl was killed in the nearby town of Ubatuba.
The cities of Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga, among the hardest hit and now in a state of calamity, have canceled their carnival festivities as rescue teams struggle to find missing, injured and feared dead in the rubble.
“Our rescue teams are unable to get to several places, it’s a chaotic situation,” said Felipe Augusto, the mayor of Sao Sebastiao. Later he added that there were dozens of people missing and 50 houses collapsed in the town due to the landslides.
Augusto posted several videos of widespread destruction in his town on social media, including one showing a baby being rescued by residents lined up in a flooded street.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Twitter that he would visit the region on Monday.
The Sao Paulo state government said in a statement that rainfall in the region exceeded 600 millimeters (23.6 inches) in one day, one of the highest amounts ever recorded in Brazil in such a short time. time.
Bertioga alone was 687 millimeters during that time, the state government said.
Governor Tarcisio de Freitas said in a statement that he had requested support from the military, which sent two planes and rescue teams to the area.
Television images showed flooded houses with only the roof visible. Residents use small boats to transport objects and people to higher positions. A road that connects Rio de Janeiro to the port city of Santos has been blocked by landslides and flooding.
The northern coast of Sao Paulo state is a frequent carnival destination for wealthy tourists who prefer to stay away from the massive street parties in the big cities.
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