Brazil News Desk!! The death toll from weekend landslides and floods off the coast of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state has risen to 44, while about 40 people are missing, the regional government said. A landslide triggered by heavy rains killed 43 people in the city of São Sebastião and another in the seaside resort of Ubatuba, according to a statement issued by Sao Paulo’s government. More than 2,400 people had to be evacuated from the area after their homes were destroyed, reports Xinhua news agency. The landslide occurred during the carnival festivities, leaving many tourists stranded as tourists headed to the seaside resorts. Many roads and highways leading to it were damaged.
São Sebastião, Ubatuba, Guaruja, Bertioga, Ilhabela and Caraguatatuba are among the most affected and in a state of disaster. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cut short his vacation on Monday and traveled to the affected area to announce support for Sao Sebastiao, pledging federal funds for housing construction. Meanwhile, the São Paulo Social Fund and the Civil Defense Agency have started distributing 7.5 tonnes of donated humanitarian aid to the victims.
–IANS
World News Desk!!
SKK