Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Brazil (AP) — Heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro state have killed at least seven people while a 4-year-old girl was rescued after more than 16 hours under mud The girl was pulled out alive in the city of Petropolis Rescue teams had to stop their work Friday night because of risks of new landslides in the region READ MORE: Experts say Brazil’s deadly mudslides reflect poor planning in the face of climate change The girl’s father died as a house was knocked to the ground She survived because he protected her with his body he spent all that time there and saved his little daughter,” Roberto Napoleão “You can’t imagine what it is like to lose a son Claudio Castro had alarmed residents of potential problems for the weekend since Thursday Firefighters have struggled to reach those hit by heavy rains many of them residents of long endangered areas Sniffing dogs were also part of the rescue efforts said that one person was still missing after the heavy rains Meteorologists say the heavy rains that hit Rio state are moving towards the neighboring state of Espirito Santo © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins Get our news on your inbox! Suscribe x MercoPress, en Español Montevideo, May 5th 2025 - 13:35 UTC Four Argentines working in slavery conditions were rescued by Brazil's Federal Police Saturday in Nova Petrópolis according to an O Globo report which also mentioned that the group had been abandoned by their employers in a rural property without resources or food and prosecutors from the Ministry of Labor and Employment were deployed They found four people living in a makeshift camp in unsanitary conditions lacking drinking water The man arrested was taken to the Federal Police headquarters in Caxias do Sul to face charges of reduction to servitude Labor Ministry acting spokesman Vanius Corte told Hora Zero that two of the workers arrived in the area last August and two others on March 1 this year They had been promised payment at the end of their work cutting eucalyptus trees The situation was denounced by two of the workers who said they had been abandoned by their employer one of them 24 years old and the other 45 years old made the complaint to the Military Police of the municipality of Bom Principio There they said that they had been hired to cut down trees in Nova Petrópolis since August 2022 after they complained about their working conditions They also reported that they were threatened with death if they told the police The other two workers -a man and his 14-year-old son- were found in the camp All four workers had entered the country illegally and had no ID on them Enslaving foreign workers is not new in Brazil A group of Paraguayans was also rescued last month in Rio de Janeiro Read also: Enslaved Paraguayan workers freed in Rio de Janeiro Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page Left: A map showing the communities visited during the four-month campaign and Hunsrik-speaking brothers and sisters sharing in the preaching work From March 1 to June 30, 2024, over 1,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses participated in an extensive preaching campaign throughout Brazil. The campaign was organized to coincide with the recent release of the publication Enjoy Life Forever! in 11 languages spoken in the country nearly 300 individuals requested a Bible study Two sisters conversing with a Hunsrik-speaking man in Nova Petrópolis a Xavante-speaking woman in Campinápolis asked the publishers: “Are you the ones who make videos in my language I have been searching for you for a long time Now I have finally found you!” She explained that she formerly studied the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses but stopped because she did not understand Portuguese after discovering that our Bible-based materials are now available in Xavante a sister had engaged in three extensive conversations with an interested woman who speaks Pomeranian the woman revealed that she had actually prayed to God the day before their first conversation asking God to teach her how to worship him in the proper way In a small indigenous village in southern Brazil, our brothers met a Kaingang-speaking woman who was unfamiliar with Jehovah’s Witnesses. The brothers read Psalm 83:18 to the woman and explained that Jehovah is God’s name she said that no one had ever taught her that God has a personal name The campaign was organized to coincide with these releases Along with our brothers and sisters in Brazil, we rejoice that so many are learning more about the “everlasting good news” found in God’s Word so that they can join in glorifying Jehovah.—Revelation 14:6, 7 TEHRAN – Iran defeated Sweden to claim the title of the 2023 World Deaf Futsal Championships on Sunday Team Melli beat Sweden 3-0 on penalties after the match ended in a 1-1 draw Japan defeated Thailand 3-2 in bronze medal match Iran had defeated Czech Republic and Thailand and drew with Brazil in the competition held in Nova Petrópolis At least 13 cities in the Brazilian State of Río Grande do Sul Wednesday recorded snowfalls but one that has come to be due to this year's harsh winter temperatures Snow was recorded in cities such as Pelotas The wave of cold air that passes through southern Brazil brought snow to at least 13 cities in Rio Grande do Sul where children took to the streets to celebrate and build up snowmen Other parts of Rio Grande do Sul were less blessed by nature and instead of snowfalls they recorded hail-like phenomena such as “frozen rain” (when water droplets freeze when fallinf off the cloud Snowflakes descend from clouds in a region that is quite cold and fall in a region of the atmosphere that is warm The phenomenon was registered at least in Júlio de Castilhos which is a small granule of ice created when drops of super-cooled water cover a snowflake soft and can easily fall apart in your hand and it is also generally smaller than hail The weather forecast for Thursday does not rule out further snowing as increasingly cold temperatures mix with humid air from the ocean which favors the formation of heavy clouds Frost is also forecast for several cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul althought not for coastal areas which will nonetheless have a lot of cloudiness throughout the day and slightly higher temperatures Seems the event is not as disruptive as originally feared: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-28/arabica-coffee-declines-on-easing-concerns-of-brazil-frost killing at least 257 people as water and mud swept through the region The rains also killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state on Tuesday bringing the total death toll in Brazil's south to at least 270 triggered a series of deadly mudslides in at least three mountaintop towns to the north of Rio Dozens of people were buried alive as they slept The mountains saw 26cm (10in) of rain fall in less than 24 hours a popular hillside tourist town around 60 miles north of Rio where at least 130 residents were buried under cascades of terracotta mud and debris Whole families were buried alive while at least 2,000 people were reportedly forced from their homes "My friend has lost 15 relatives today," said Andreia Mattos who was spending her 45th birthday outside the city's morgue last night surrounded by masked doctors and weeping locals desperately seeking information about missing relatives "It wasn't just the poor who were hit - it was mansions Next to her crying women leafed nervously through an A-4 notepad filled with pictures of unidentified corpses mud-soaked limbs and babies whose smooth faces had been frozen into peaceful gazes by their sudden deaths Written on the pad's frontcover were the words: "Victims of the natural disaster - 12.1.11" The Guardian counted at least 8 babies among the photographs Around 1,000 people were left homeless as the waters smashed through the town calling the calamity "the worst to hit the town" About 800 search-and-rescue workers from the state's civil defence department and firefighters dug for survivors The number of victims was expected to rise as rescuers find more bodies and reach more remote areas while the government this evening announced a R$700m (£265m) package The money will go to repairing infrastructure and preventing future disasters The president planned to fly over the most severely damaged parts of Rio today as TV images showed residents fleeing the region on foot or in cars and pleading with authorities for assistance There are many families buried," one woman told a reporter from Globo television as she abandoned her home "There was no way of telling which house would fall Rich and poor – everything was destroyed," domestic worker Fernanda Carvalho was quoted as saying by the Globo network's website a local press officer who was helping out at the morgue said: "We pulled at least 16 bodies out this morning One of my friends still hasn't found his mum or his wife Some areas have been completely destroyed." Speaking after a helicopter flight over Teresópolis described the mudslides as the worst catastrophe in the region's history "I believe the death toll is much higher than has been so far announced," he said Fernanda Carvalho, a 27-year-old maid from the region, told the G1 news website that the disaster had drawn no distinction between rich and poor Helicopter images showed at least two stranded locals desperately waving white shirts in a bid to be rescued a thick brown scar had been ripped through one residential area on the town's outskirts uprooting trees and demolishing everything in its path Two other tourist destinations in the same region were also badly affected with 25 deaths reported there where at least 97 died after a month's worth of rain fell in 24 hours four firemen were reported to have been buried alive as they attempted to reach victims. "There are so many disappeared and so many that will probably never be found," said Angela Marina de Carvalho Silva who believes she may have lost 15 relatives to the flood It was hell," she said in a telephone interview Carvalho Silva took refuge in a neighbour's house on high ground with her husband and daughter and watched the torrential rain carry away cars tree branches and animals and tear apart the homes of friends and family The water came down and swept everything away," said her husband The latest mudslides to hit Rio follow similar disasters last April when several inner city favelas were destroyed by the rains In the worst incident, more than 200 people were buried alive when the Morro do Bumba shantytown in Niteroi Rio state Governor Sergio Cabral said in a statement he had asked the navy for aircraft to take rescue crews and equipment to the region which was partially cut off from Rio by road South-east Brazil is used to heavy rains in January At least 13 people died on Tuesday in Sao Paulo state as small towns and even parts of central Sao Paulo were transformed into murky Waterlogged motorways in Brazil's economic capital ground to a halt as hundreds of rescue workers scrambled to reach the affected areas in Rio recriminations had already begun as to who was responsible for the high death toll Minc told the BBC's Brazil service that politicians had to shoulder their share of the blame for encouraging the illegal occupation of hillsides Rescue and aid operations are difficult as access to the affected mountainous areas around 100 kilometres north of Rio remains limited.Credits: Caritas Brazil Floods and landslides caused by torrential rains have left more than 500 people in Brazil dead and left more than 13,000 homeless It is being described as the worst natural disaster the country has experienced in the last 40 years Entire neighbourhoods have been carried away by the mudslides Rescue and aid operations are difficult as access to the affected mountainous areas around 100 kilometres north of Rio remains limited “Many telephone lines have been cut and roads can’t be used,” said Maria Cristina dos Anjos “The Bishop of Petropolis told me there is total chaos where he is As help has not reached all affected areas yet Caritas Brazil together with the Brazilian Bishop’s Conference is calling for donations and setting up emergency relief operations for the victims Caritas will provide affected people with drinking water health care and other aid covering people’s most urgent needs Teresópolis and Petrópolis have been mobilized People made homeless by the mudslides are being hosted in churches the poorest are the worst affected in this disaster Those who live in makeshift homes and who out of poverty have to settle in high risk zones are particularly vulnerable More prevention could have saved many lives in this disaster,” said Ms “The precarious situation of the poor is a problem in many parts of Brazil people living in slums in the big urban areas or indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest suffering from the consequences of deforestation more needs to be done to insure decent living conditions to the poor.” Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF) – Agência 1041 – OP 003 – Conta Corrente 1490-8; ou na do Banco do Brasil – Agência 3475-4 – Conta Corrente 32.000-5 For more information, please contact Anne-Sophie Legge on +39 06 69879757/+39 335 82 34 233 or [email protected] GET INVOLVED Brazil moves to reduce disaster risk as severe rainfall worsens was last published on 27 March 2013. The information contained here may still be valid, but we encourage considering the age of the material. You might also search for related content Please help us improve PreventionWeb by taking this brief survey Your input will allow us to better serve the needs of the DRR community See the survey Please note: Content is displayed as last posted by a PreventionWeb community member or editor. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of UNDRR, PreventionWeb, or its sponsors. See our terms of use Thank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window) PreventionWeb is the global knowledge sharing platform for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience. After the deluge of photographs showing devastated landcapes, this scene is one which perhaps sums up the loss floods have brought to Brazil. As the mudslides death toll hits 630, a loyal dog refuses to leave the muddy graveside of its owner. Leao cuts a pitiful figure beside the grave of Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who died in Teresópolis, one of the areas hardest hit by last week's natural disaster. Renewed rainfall was slowing rescue helicopters today in south-east Brazil as officials focused their attention on the survivors they could reach more immediately, mapping out a plan to get people living in tents in the short term. 'They will give families shelter for up to six months while more permanent solutions can be developed,' Mr Sedlacek said. 'These tents will at least re-establish the family units, which will bring some comfort to people living in communal shelters.' A local business has offered land on which to set up the tents, and crews began working to level the ground, Mr Sedlacek said. The city is also studying the option of erecting modular homes, which can be set up within a few days. 'We are removing bureaucratic bottlenecks and registering people to help them with long-term housing needs,' he said. Authorities also will map out and evacuate high-risk areas where residents are holding on to their homes, said Mr Sedlacek. He said: ‘We know there are communities that are at immediate risk. The government is planning to remove those residents and place them in shelters or tents.’ Days after mudslides wiped out whole neighborhoods early on Wednesday, many residents continued to live in homes in threatened areas, unwilling to join the thousands crowded into shelters despite the ever-present danger to their lives. Mr Oliveira da Silva's home could be next. But he said he has no money to rent another place, much less to buy land elsewhere and start over, so he's staying put for now. 'There is no financing for someone like me, and I can't afford to buy a home in town,' he said. 'What am I supposed to do? Move my family to a shelter? And then what?' 'The priority is the rescue of people who are still isolated,' said Alexandre Aragon, head of the Brazilian National Security Force, which is aiding in the recovery. 'We have to take advantage of this break in the weather to help people in these remote, collapsed areas.' Rio state's Civil Defence department said on its website late Sunday that the death toll reached 633 between the cities of Teresópolis, Nova Friburgo, Petropolis and Sumidouro. The death toll has risen daily as more bodies are pulled from the mud. Major terror attack 'was just HOURS away' before it was foiled by the special forces and police:... Victim of acid attack 'plotted by his ex-partner who teamed up with a gang' dies in hospital six... We are trapped in unsellable newbuild homes after a £52m dual carriageway was built on our... Pub is forced to pay family £75,000 after wrongly accusing them of 'dine and dash' over £150... 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Commenting on this article has endedNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}} Laura has been selected to play for Ireland at the Deaf Futsal World Cup in Brazil but she will need sponsorship for the trip of a lifetime Laura McGuinn is representing Ireland at the World Deaf Futsal Championships Calry’s Laura (23) is part of the Irish Women’s Deaf Futsal Team which will compete at the 5th World Deaf Futsal Championships in Nova Petrópolis For soccer fanatic Laura McGuinn the chance to represent Ireland at a World Cup feels like a dream come true Laura has had hearing difficulties her entire life she is deaf in one ear and requires hearing aids in both ears Irish NewsDarkness into Light 2025: locate your nearest walk for Pieta HouseAs registration deadlines come to a close communities across Ireland are warming up for the annual Darkness into Light Walk for Pieta House.