Floods and landslides kill 36 people in Brazil

At least 36 people have died after floods and landslides hit the north coast of Brazil’s São Paulo state over the weekend.

The São Paulo state government reported that 35 residents were killed in the municipality of São Sebastião. According to police, four of the victims were minors.

A seven-year-old girl was found dead under a rock at her home in the nearby town of Ubatuba.

The storm displaced 1,730 residents and left 766 homeless, according to the São Paulo state government.

Rescue teams worked around the clock Monday looking for at least 40 residents who were reported missing in the towns of Barra do Sahy and Juquehy.

Vehicles were abandoned on a beach in the Brazilian city of São Sebastião, where 35 residents were killed by floods and landslides caused by heavy rains on Saturday and Sunday

Residents of São Sebastião, a city in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, formed a human chain on Sunday to rescue babies from a flooded house

Debris is swept away by rainstorms in São Paulo, Brazil, where at least 36 residents were killed and another 40 were reported missing after a severe storm tore through the state’s north coast

The severe storm inundated 13 cities along the north coast with 223.7 inches of rain between Saturday and Sunday, exceeding the volume the region was expecting for the month of February, Civil Protection said.

The rain index for the municipality of Bertioga recorded a record 41.9 inches during the 24-hour period.

São Sebastião reported 38.3 inches of rain after the February forecast called for an average of 18.5 inches.

Ilhabela, which was expecting 18.4 inches of rain, was drenched by 20.5 inches of rain. Ubatuba recorded 20.4 inches of rain, beating the average of 17.7 inches expected for the month.

The city of São Sebastião was among the hardest-hit by the 24-hour storm, which produced 38.3 inches of rain, beating February’s average of 18.5 inches

Highway SP-55 remained closed Monday as emergency responders worked to clear debris caused by a landslide

A resident carries an infant who was rescued in the Brazilian city of São Sebastião, where 35 people were killed by flooding and landslides caused by a storm that registered 38.3 inches of rain

São Sebastião Mayor Felipe Augusto said at least 50 houses were buried by the mudslides.

“Our rescue teams are unable to get to multiple locations; It’s a chaotic situation,” Augusto said.

The heavy rain also led to the cancellation of the carnival celebrations in São Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga.

Augusto posted several videos on social media of widespread destruction in his city, including one showing a baby being rescued by locals lined up on a flooded street.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva flew over the areas affected by the storm on Monday.

“I think a good prayer with a lot of faith always helps us achieve what we want,” he told reporters.

São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said in a statement he had requested assistance from the army, which dispatched two planes and rescue teams to the region.

TV footage showed flooded houses, with only the roof visible. Residents used small boats to transport objects and people to higher positions.

The storm also blocked access to sections along the Tamoios, Mogi-Bertioga, and Rio de Janeiro-Santos highways.

Tarcísio flew over the region on Monday and said at least 10 points on the Rio de Janeiro-Santos highway were blocked by debris.

“In some places we don’t know exactly what is left of the highway because there is so much land that has moved so much that we even hypothesize that the highway was dragged along, that the highway no longer exists ,’ he said.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk