SAO PAULO, February 20: Authorities in the Brazilian state of São Paulo say at least 36 people have died in heavy flooding and mudslides, forcing some cities to cancel annual Carnival celebrations.
Rescue teams have been scrambling to reach survivors and clear roads.
More than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain fell in some areas on Sunday, double the amount expected for the month.
“Search and rescue teams are failing to reach several places; it’s a chaotic situation,” said Felipe Augusto, mayor of the hard-hit town of São Sebastião.
“We have not yet measured the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims.”
Dozens went missing in the town and some 50 houses collapsed and were washed away, added Augusto, who said the situation remains “extremely critical.”
The state government reported at least 35 deaths in São Sebastião and the mayor of Ubatuba, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the northeast, said a girl had died. Hundreds have been displaced and evacuated.
“Unfortunately, we are going to have many more deaths,” a civil defense official told the Folha de São Paulo newspaper.
Meanwhile, authorities say another 228 people have been left homeless, with 338 more evacuated from the coastal regions north of São Paulo.
A state of calamity was declared for 180 days in six municipalities of the state: São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba, Ilhabela, Ubatuba, Guarujá and Bertioga.
State Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said he had released the equivalent of $1.5m (£1.2m) in funds to help with disaster relief.
Carnival events have been canceled on the north coast, which is a popular destination for well-heeled tourists looking to avoid the big street festivities in big cities.
The festival usually lasts for five days in the run up to the Christian holiday of Lent and the colorful celebrations are synonymous with Brazil.
Latin America’s largest port in Santos was also closed as wind speeds exceeded 55 km/h (34 mph) and waves exceeded 1 meter, local press reported.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was spending the carnival weekend in the northeastern state of Bahia, said he would visit the affected areas on Monday.
In a post on Twitter, he sent his condolences to those who had lost loved ones and vowed to rally authorities to provide medical care and rescue teams.
“We are going to unite all levels of government and, with the solidarity of society, care for the wounded, search for the missing, restore roads, electrical connections and telecommunications in the region,” da Silva wrote.
More heavy rains are expected in the area, threatening to further worsen conditions for emergency responders.
Extreme weather events such as flooding are expected to become more common as the impacts of climate change take hold.
Last year, torrential rains in the southeastern city of Petrópolis killed more than 230 people.
(BBC)
