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Officials: Brazil storm death toll rises to 100
The France24 reported, citing the AFP, Brazilian officials said Tuesday (May 31), the death toll from torrential rains that triggered floods and landslides in northeastern Brazil has risen to 100. This came emergency workers were searching for more victims.
The force of the landslides ripped apart houses in neighborhoods including Jardim Monteverde, a poor community just outside the city of Recife.
Rescue workers have found dozens of bodies buried in the mud that tore through the neighborhood on Saturday, and said they expect to find more.
At least 14 people remain missing, said disaster management officials for the state of Pernambuco, scene of the latest in a series of deadly weather disasters to hit the country in recent months.
President Jair Bolsonaro posted a video on Twitter that showed him flying in a helicopter over the disaster zone where brown floodwater inundated large areas and gashes of mud scarred hillsides where houses once stood.
The far-right president told a news conference: "I tried to land, but the pilots' recommendation was that, given the instability of the soil, we could have an accident. So we decided against it."
Brazil: Death toll rises to 56 from floods and landslides caused by heavy rains
He recalled a string of devastating floods in Brazil that have killed hundreds of people in recent months, and which experts say are being aggravated by climate change.
Source: france24
