Death toll reaches 204 from landslides and floods in Brazilian city of Petropolis
February 24, 2022, 7:31 am

Death toll reaches 204 from landslides and floods in Brazilian city of Petropolis

Death toll from mudslides and floods in the Brazilian city of Petropolis, in southeast Rio de Janeiro state, rose to 204 (File photo: CGTN)

The Xinhua reported, Brazilian authorities said that the death toll from mudslides and floods in the Brazilian city of Petropolis, in southeast Rio de Janeiro state, rose to 204 on Wednesday.

According to the police, at least 51 people remained missing as rescue efforts continued to retrieve victims from the mountains of mud that buried homes.

A spokesman for the Fire Department of the state of Rio de Janeiro said search and rescue efforts were suspended on Wednesday due to storms in the area.

On Feb. 15, Petropolis, a city located 68 km from Rio de Janeiro, was slammed with heavy rains that caused more than 50 mudslides and floods.

105 dead and 140 still missing in Rio de Janeiro landslides

Petropolis, a historic tourism hub in Brazil, still has 810 evacuees who have been living in school shelters for the past week.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.