Toll from Brazil landslides, floods rises

SAO PAULO－The death toll from landslides and floods that occurred in the city of Petropolis in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday rose to 146 on Saturday, the Civil Defense said.

The number of missing stood at 191, with 24 people rescued since Tuesday, the Civil Defense said.

Attempts to find survivors under mountains of mud that swept through neighborhoods on Tuesday were suspended on Saturday due to more rain and the risk of further landslides.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the region on Friday and described it as a "war scene".

Several hills collapsed during the heavy rains, carrying away homes and vehicles, and residents continued to dig through the mud to search for their missing loved ones.

About 14 of the country's states have sent tracking dogs and rescue teams to aid the search for survivors.

Authorities say the mud and rubble is unstable, so the search is being carried out with hand tools and chainsaws at the hardest-to-reach spots. It would be too dangerous to bring in the excavators being used in less difficult zones near the bottom of the hillside, said Roberto Amaral, coordinator of the local fire department's special rescue group.

"It's impossible to bring in heavy machinery up here, so we basically have to work like ants, going little by little."

Tuesday's deadly storm was the latest in a series to hit Brazil, which experts say are made worse by climate change.

In the past three months at least 198 people have died in severe rains, mainly in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo and the northeastern state of Bahia, as well as Petropolis.

Xinhua - Agencies