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Severe floods and landslides hit Rio de Janeiro, claiming 11 lives, Brazil

ByTeo Blašković
Heavy rains and landslides hit Rio de Janeiro, claiming 11 lives, Brazil

Image credit: Disaster Tracker (stillshot)

At least 11 people have died in Rio de Janeiro after a month’s worth of rain hit parts of the city, turning roads into raging rivers, the fire department confirmed on Sunday, January 15, 2024. The northern parts of the city were particularly affected, with incidents of landslides, drownings, and electrocutions reported.

In Acari, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, the deluge flooded the basement offices of the Ronaldo Gazolla hospital and severely impacted local businesses, while in Avenida de Brasil, one of the city’s major thoroughfares, water levels reached the roofs of cars.

A dozen bus lines ceased operations, and multiple metro stations closed due to water inundating the tracks.

According to a report from the firefighters, they responded to over 200 storm-related incidents.

Some areas of Rio de Janeiro experienced a month’s worth of typical January rainfall within just 24 hours.

The severity of the situation prompted Mayor Eduardo Paes to declare a state of emergency, urging residents to stay indoors both for their safety and to facilitate rescue and recovery operations.

References:

1 Torrential rains leave at least 11 dead in Brazil – AFP – January 15, 2024

Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.

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