In recent days, the southeastern part of Brazil has been experiencing continuous heavy rain, leading to massive landslides in multiple areas, resulting in at least 10 deaths and several people missing. Rescue teams have arrived in the disaster area to carry out search and rescue operations.
The government of Ipatinga, Minas Gerais state in Brazil, announced on Sunday (January 12) that the city received 80 millimeters of rainfall within an hour on Saturday (January 11). The overflowing rivers in the city caused by the heavy rain led to landslides, resulting in 9 confirmed deaths, including an 8-year-old boy. The city has declared a state of public disaster for 180 days.
Additionally, rescue teams found a body in the nearby town of Santana do Paraiso.
Another landslide occurred in the Bethania neighborhood of Ipatinga city. Videos and photos circulating online show the mudslides destroying several houses along the street in the community, leaving the area in ruins. As of Sunday night, one person is still missing in the region.
The Governor of Minas Gerais state, Romeu Zema, expressed his deep condolences to the victims and their families through social media on the same day and stated that he would visit Ipatinga city on Monday (January 13) morning to assess the situation and find safer temporary shelters for the displaced people.
Brazil has faced a series of extreme weather events over the past year. Between April and May last year, record-breaking rainfall in the southern region of the country led to devastating floods that claimed over 180 lives. In the same year, Brazil also experienced a historic drought, resulting in the most severe forest fires in 17 years, with merciless fires engulfing large areas of the Amazon rainforest.