Brazil Floods Death Toll Hits Seventy

(MENAFN) Rescue workers in southeastern Brazil are racing against time after catastrophic floods and landslides claimed at least 70 lives across Minas Gerais state, with three people still unaccounted for, the Fire Department confirmed Saturday.

The hardest-hit area, Juiz de Fora, recorded 64 fatalities, while the neighboring city of Ubá reported six additional deaths. The twin disasters — triggered by relentless rainfall beginning Monday — have submerged communities and sent hillsides collapsing onto homes across both municipalities.

Now entering their fifth straight day of operations, emergency crews received a partial reprieve as overnight rain subsided. However, saturated terrain continues to block heavy equipment from reaching critical zones, slowing the search for survivors.

Municipal authorities in Juiz de Fora confirmed that 8,584 residents have been forced to evacuate, while civil defense teams have logged more than 2,300 emergency responses since the storms first struck on Feb. 23.

Officials have described the ongoing crisis as the most lethal weather event to strike Minas Gerais in over two decades — a grim milestone that has drawn national attention and federal intervention.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to tour the devastated regions Saturday, where he is expected to coordinate disaster relief efforts alongside local government officials.

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