Rains leave at least three dead in Rio state
Two deaths occurred in Japeri and another in Barra do Piraí.
By Vitor Abdala - Reporter for Agência Brasil - Rio de Janeiro
At least three people died due to the rains that hit the state of Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday night (21). According to the Civil Defense of Japeri, in Baixada Fluminense, two deaths were recorded in the municipality: a boy and a 24-year-old woman, in collapses in different locations.
The State Secretariat of Civil Defense also confirmed the death of a woman in a landslide in Barra do Piraí, in the south of Rio de Janeiro.
According to the state secretariat, in the Barra do Piraí landslide, four people were rescued alive and three victims are being searched for by the Fire Department under the rubble.
In the city of Mendes, two people were rescued alive from a landslide. A child is reportedly missing, according to the state Civil Defense.
More than 130 incidents were recorded by the Fire Department in the state. The rains caused flash floods in municipalities of the Baixada Fluminense region, such as Nova Iguaçu and Queimados. In both cities, classes were suspended in some municipal schools.
According to the State Secretariat of Civil Defense, the risk of flooding is high or very high in Nova Iguaçu, Queimados, Barra do Piraí, Mendes, Paracambi, Porto Real, Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin, Japeri, Belford Roxo and in Rio de Janeiro.
The risk of landslides is high or very high in Nova Iguaçu, Barra do Piraí, Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin, Japeri, Mendes, Paracambi, Queimados and Porto Real.
On the BR-363 highway, a crater opened up, causing its closure at kilometer 258 in Barra do Piraí. In Teresópolis, in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, traffic at kilometer 63 of the BR-116 was interrupted due to a fallen tree and power lines, which caused an accident involving a truck.