Dozens killed as deadly storms hits Brazil’s So Paulo state

• At least 36 people have been killed in Brazil’s So Paulo state.
• Due to landslides and flooding, including a seven-year-old girl killed.
• When a boulder weighing two tones hit her home.

In Brazil‘s So Paulo state, officials report that landslides and flooding have killed at least 36 people.

Rescue workers say they hope to bring some of the individuals stuck in flooded homes out of the muck alive even though there are dozens of people missing and a predicted increase in the number of fatalities.

Footage displayed submerged neighborhoods, flooded highways, and debris left behind as homes were swept away.

In a number of cities, the carnival has been cancelled.

At the coastal town of So Sebastio, 627mm of rain fell in a single day, more than double the monthly average.

The town’s mayor, Felipe August, said the situation there was chaotic: “We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims.”

Some 50 houses had collapsed and were washed away, Mr. Augusto added, saying that the situation remained “extremely critical”.

The state government reported at least 35 deaths in São Sebastião and in Ubatuba, some 80km (50 miles) north-east, a seven-year-old girl was killed when a boulder weighing two tones hit her home.

Hundreds have been displaced and evacuated.

“Unfortunately, we are going to have many more deaths,” a civil defense official told newspaper Folha de São Paulo.

State Governor Tarcsio de Freitas declared that he has made funding for disaster relief of $1.5 million (£1.2 million) available.

Carnival activities were postponed along areas of the coastline, a favorite vacation spot for wealthy travelers trying to avoid the massive street festivals in the major towns.

In the lead-up to the Christian festival of Lent, the event typically lasts for five days, and the vibrant celebrations are emblematic of Brazil.

Santos, the biggest port in Latin America, was also closed due to winds that were above 55 km/h (34 mph) and waves that were over 1 m high, according to local media.

The damaged districts will be visited later on Monday by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was spending the weekend of the carnival in the state of Bahia in the northeast.

He expressed his sorrow to those who had lost loved ones in a tweet and pledged to coordinate with law enforcement to send out medical teams and rescue crews.

“We are going to bring together all levels of government and, with the solidarity of society, treat the wounded, look for the missing, restore highways, power connections and telecommunications in the region,” President Lula wrote.

Threatening to worsen the situation for rescue teams, further heavy rain is predicted in the area.

As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, extreme weather phenomena like the floods are anticipated to become more frequent.

More than 230 people were killed by severe rain in the southeast city of Petropolis last year.

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