Death Toll Rises to 58 in Brazil Floods
The death toll from the heaviest rains in 38 years rose to at least 58, and 7,000 people were homeless in South America’s largest city, the government said Tuesday.
Most victims were killed either as steep earth and rock banks collapsed onto poorly built shacks, burying families alive, or in flash floods that rose as high as five feet in a matter of minutes.
The rain began Saturday and reached a peak Sunday, when 4 1/2 inches fell through the night into Monday in what meteorologist Neide Oliveira called the worst cloudburst since 1949.
A total of 10 1/2 inches fell throughout the three days, causing the Tiete River to overflow its banks and block major highways in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s industrial center and a city of 15.3 million.
Entire neighborhoods were cut off by flooded streets and military police rescued some flood victims by helicopter. Water covered major highways leading into Sao Paulo.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
