Rescue teams are working in torrential rain to help victims of a severe storm that hit the southeastern part of the country, especially the state of Rio de Janeiro, at the end of the week, causing death at least 20 people.

In Petropolis, where four people died when a house and a small building collapsed, an AFP team yesterday morning helped rescue a girl who had been trapped for 16 hours under the debris. Her father’s body was found next to her.

“The father heroically protected the little girl with his body and she was saved (…). We feel pain, but we are grateful for this miracle,” he told AFP Luis Claudio de Souzaaged 63, a neighbor of the family.

Overall, his state Rio de Janeiro counts eight dead since the start of the extreme weather Friday night to Saturday, in the cities of Petropolis, Teresopolis, Santa Cruz and Araial do Campo, according to the government.

In the neighboring state of Espirito Santo, a new toll announced today by authorities puts the death toll at 12.

Thousands of people unable to find shelter due to bad weather, Brazil’s president says Luis Inacio Lula da Silvain a message he posted on the night of Saturday to Sunday on the X platform.

Such tragedies “intensify with climate change”, he reminded Brazilian presidentin a country that has been at the mercy of natural disasters repeatedly.

Two hundred and forty one people lost their lives in the tourist town Petropolis in 2022due to heavy rainfall.

Lula also expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims and assured that the government is working with local authorities to “protect, prevent and repair flood damage”.

“Chaotic” situation

Espirito state governor Renato Casagrande described for his part a “chaotic situation” in the town of Mimozo do Sul, on the northern outskirts of Rio, where the exact number of possible victims from the bad weather has not been ascertained.

In aerial footage recorded yesterday and broadcast by the fire service, entire districts of the city can be seen submerged under the muddy waters, while only the roofs of the houses are visible. In other photos posted on social media, several vehicles, including a fire engine, have been swept away by torrents of mud.

The streets of Petropolis turned into rivers, with Rio state governor Claudio Castro on Friday calling the situation “critical” and declaring the city a state of emergency.

Yesterday morning, dozens of soldiers and firefighters, aided by dogs, were working feverishly despite torrential rain, AFP reported.

About 90 people have been rescued since Friday and public schools have been turned into shelters, according to an emergency management committee set up by the government and rescue forces.

Gale-force winds and heavy rain battered the coast near Sao Paulo, where two children were injured on Friday and remain in hospital.

The severe storm follows a heatwave in the region, which saw temperatures hit 62.3C in Rio de Janeiro last week.