Rescue and strip searches near the coastal city of Sao Sebastiao, Brazil, Wednesday February 22, 2023. ANDRE PENNER/AP
Landslides in southeastern Brazil have claimed the lives of 54 people, according to the latest report released by authorities on Friday, February 24. More than 680 millimeters of rain fell in Sao Sebastiao, a seaside resort about 120 kilometers from Sao Paulo, in 24 hours at the end of last week, more than double the monthly rainfall. According to the governor of Sao Paulo, 16 women, 15 men and 15 children were identified among the dead.
Authorities estimate that around 30 people are still missing and the search in neighborhoods hardest hit by the landslides and flooding is continuing unabated. About 4,000 people had to leave their homes.
Experts attribute these extreme events to a combination of the effects of climate change and uncontrolled urbanization. In Brazil, 9.5 million people live in areas prone to landslides or floods, many of them in favelas that lack basic sanitation infrastructure, according to the country’s national natural disaster monitoring and warning center, Cemaden.
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