Floods and landslides kill at least 58 in Minas Gerais, Brazil - highest rainfall ever in Belo Horizonte - 40,000 displaced (UPDATES)

Floodlist
Sat, 25 Jan 2020 20:58 UTC

© AP

Houses hit by flooding in Minas Gerais state.

At least 14 people have died after record rain caused flash flooding and landslides in Minas Gerais State in southeast Brazil.

The disaster comes just days after the deadly floods in Espirito Santo on 17 to 18 January, where 6 people died.

Minas Gerais Civil Defence reported 14 people have died in the Greater Belo Horizonte area, including in Belo Horizonte city and the municipalities of Ibirité and Betim. Many of the fatalities occurred as a result of landslides. Civil Defence added that 7 people have been injured and around 3,500 evacuated or left homeless.

Roads were turned to rivers as flood water raged through streets of the Greater Belo Horizonte area. Flooding and landslides damaged or destroyed buildings, including a city hospital. Belo Horizonte Civil Defence said that teams attended over 470 incidents of landslides and flooding across the region on 24 January, 2020.

A total of 171.8mm of rain fell in Belo Horizonte on 24 January. In a statement, Romeu Zema, Governor of Minas Gerais, said the rainfall was the highest recorded in Belo Horizonte.

Civil Defence said that at least 8 locations across the metropolitan area recorded more than 100mm of rain in a 15 hour period on 24 January. Several areas of the state recorded over 300mm of rain in a period from early 23 to late 24 January. Some areas have now seen double the amount of rainfall normally expected in January. Warnings for further heavy rain have been issued.

Brumadinho

Authorities warned that the Paraopeba River is at risk of overflowing in Brumadinho. It is exactly a year ago that 259 people died in the in the municipality of Brumadinho after a mining dam collapsed on Friday, 25 January, 2019, causing a massive mudflow.

Social Media

Carros ficam praticamente submersos no cruzamento da avenida Eduardo Gomes com rua Amintas Jacques de Morais, no bairro Alípio de Melo, em #BeloHorizonte .#chuvabh #ChuvasEmBH pic.twitter.com/Kv8cdUDS1K

— Record TV Minas (@recordtvminas) January 25, 2020

#ChuvaEmMinas

Orem por BH💔 pic.twitter.com/m8u4PtcYsD

— surtada (@Surtada121) January 24, 2020

Que Deus proteja a todos que possam estar em situação de risco nesse momento. Chuva histórica em Minas Gerais. Ainda bem que já havia sido alertado, caso contrário o estrago seria maior. 🙏 #ChuvaEmMinas #ChuvasEmBH pic.twitter.com/r1WNLxa6Gm

— Alisson Vilaça (@vilaca_alisson) January 25, 2020

#ChuvaEmMinas Gente, quem puder ajudar,minha Cunhada irmã da minha esposa perdeu tudo nessa chuva de BH, agua foi até o teto eles ficou ilhado lá com 3 criança
Não queremos dinheiro Queria apenas quem puder ajudar, Com movéis, cesta básica, roupas ou Compartilha #ChuvaEmMinas pic.twitter.com/czNu2yBwkf

— Mc SURFISTÃO BHz (@bhz_mc) January 25, 2020

Que momento triste vive Minas Gerais😭.
Hospitais alagados...Não basta o sofrimento de já estar doente. Kdê as autoridades?? #ChuvasEmBH #ChuvaEmMinas pic.twitter.com/sWU6EYf3qn

— Ana Claudia 🦊⚪ (@anasilvarp) January 25, 2020

Comment: Update: Sky News reports on Jan 26th:

Brazil: 30 killed in flooding and landslides after two days of torrential rain

Seventeen people are missing and 2,600 have been evacuated from their homes after 48 hours of heavy rain.

At least 30 people have died after two days of heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in southeast Brazil.

Seventeen people have been listed as missing and 2,600 were evacuated from their houses in Minas Gerais state, which has been buffeted by 48 hours of torrential rain.

Photos show people, including children, swimming through some of the flooded streets.

A child swims through a flooded street in Anama, Amazonas state

More rain is expected in Minas Gerais as well as other parts of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Around 2,600 people have been evacuated from their homes

Around 2,600 people have been evacuated from their homes

On Saturday, the number of deaths stood at 11.

The fatalities were reported in the state capital of Belo Horizonte and in the state's interior.

The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, will fly over the affected areas on Sunday to evaluate the damage.

The announcement of the deaths comes the same day as mourners elsewhere in Minas Gerais observe the first anniversary of a mining dam collapse that killed at least 250 people.

Update 2: Xinhua reports on Jan 28th:

Severe flooding in southeast Brazil has left at least 58 people dead and displaced more than 40,000 others, the regional civil defense agency said on Monday.

The worst-hit states are Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, where torrential downpours have wreaked havoc since late last week.

In Minas Gerais, 47 people have died since heavy rains fell on Friday, with four others missing and 65 others injured, the agency said.

At least 101 towns in Minas Gerais have declared a state of emergency after 14,609 people were driven away from their homes due to flood waters, and 3,386 others were left homeless.

The state's capital Belo Horizonte has registered 13 fatalities, mainly as a result of mudslides.

Nine people were reportedly killed in Espirito Santo, and at least two other deaths were reported in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian government has declared a state of calamity in four towns in south Espirito Santo, where rains have caused major damage.