SAO PAULO, March 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — Rescue workers found the body of a 37-year-old man under piles of earth and debris on Sunday, bringing the death toll from the mudslides in southeast Brazil’s Sao Paulo state to 42.
Another 36 people remain missing since unusually heavy rains hit coastal towns on Tuesday, collapsing ramshackle hillside houses in the poorer neighborhoods, according to local firefighters.
The latest victim has been identified as Rafael Rodriguez, an instructor of Brazilian martial art capoeira, who died while trying to rescue the victims of a mudslide at a slum in Guaruja, one of Brazil’s most populous beachside resort towns.
Guaruja has declared a state of calamity and received more than 30 tons of humanitarian aid from the federal government for survivors left homeless.
Rains continued to lash this coast over the weekend, hampering rescue efforts. — NNN-XINHUA
