Rain: Death toll reaches 35 in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.
Civil Defense in Espírito Santo registered three more deaths in the state; in Minas Gerais, a 7-year-old boy was added to the list of deaths due to the rains: missing since December 17th, the child is the 17th victim included in the report.
By Editorial Staff Current Brazil Network
Sao Paulo - The confirmation of new victims has brought the number of deaths due to rain in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to 35. The Espírito Santo Civil Defense registered three more deaths yesterday (25). With this, the total number of victims rose to 18: two in Baixo Guandu, one in Barra de São Francisco, five in Colatina, one in Domingos Martins, eight in Itaguaçú and one in Nova Venécia.
In Minas Gerais, a 7-year-old boy has been added to the list of deaths caused by the rains: missing since December 17th, the child is the 17th victim included in a report released today by Civil Defense.
The boy's house, in the rural area of Sardoá, was buried by a landslide. Five other family members also died. Sardoá has 5.718 inhabitants and is located in the Rio Doce region, near Governador Valadares, 326 kilometers from Belo Horizonte.
Data shows that 24 municipalities in Minas Gerais have declared a state of emergency due to the rains that have been causing flooding and landslides. According to Civil Defense, another 53 cities have been affected by the rains, totaling 77 affected municipalities.
The number of displaced people has risen to 3.410 and the number of homeless to 744. Both figures are five times higher than those recorded in yesterday morning's bulletin. More than 6 homes were damaged and 67 destroyed, as well as 41 infrastructure projects.
In Espírito Santo, the last four deaths – three in Colatina, in a large landslide, and one in Barra de São Francisco, where a flash flood killed a 17-year-old – occurred yesterday, but were only registered today.
The number of affected cities has also grown, now reaching 50, according to the latest Civil Defense bulletin. The state government has declared a state of emergency or calamity in 48 of the 78 cities in Espírito Santo.
In total, 48.601 people had to leave their homes due to problems related to the rains. Of these, 4.565 were accommodated in shelters and 44.036 are staying with relatives and friends. Yesterday (24), that number reached 49.886.
The government of Espírito Santo requested that the Ministry of Health send medicament kits to prevent diseases caused by contact with floodwater. The first kits were sent to 23 cities affected by the rain.
Donations of drinking water and basic food baskets are being received at the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 11th and 12th Military Police battalions located in Vitória, Nova Venécia, Vila Velha, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Linhares and Colatina, respectively.
With information from Agência Brasil