SANTO PAULO: According to Brazilian authorities, floods and landslides have resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people in two cities in the north of the state of Sao Paulo. This number may continue to rise.
On Sunday, the Sao Sebastiao city hall said that 25 people had died, and the Ubatuba mayor said that a 7-year-old girl had been killed.
Some of the hardest-hit cities, including Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela, and Bertioga, have canceled their Carnival celebrations as rescue teams struggle to locate missing, injured, and feared dead among the rubble. "Our rescue teams are unable to reach multiple locations; The situation is chaotic, according to Sao Sebastiao Mayor Felipe Augusto. He went on to say that fifty houses in the city had collapsed as a result of the landslides and that dozens of people were still missing.
Augusto shared a number of videos on his social media channels that showed the widespread destruction in his city. One of the videos showed a baby being saved by locals who were lining up on a flooded street.
On Twitter, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that he would be traveling to the area on Monday.
In a statement, the government of Sao Paulo state said that precipitation in the area exceeded 600 millimeters in a single day, which was one of the highest amounts ever recorded in Brazil in such a short time.
The state government stated that Bertioga alone had 687 millimeters during that time.
In a statement, Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas said he asked the army for help, and the army sent two planes and rescue teams to the area.
Houses were shown flooded on television, with only the roof visible. People and things are being transported to higher positions by residents in small boats. Landslides and floodwaters blocked a road that connects Rio de Janeiro to the port city of Santos.
Wealthy tourists who prefer to avoid large-scale street parties in big cities frequently visit the northern coast of Sao Paulo State for Carnival.