Heavy Rains Leave Seven Dead in Recife

By Newsfeed/Xinhua

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – At least seven people died, and three others were missing after heavy rains pounded Recife, capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco, firefighters said on Friday, June 14th.

Five of the deaths were caused by a landslide that buried four houses in the town of Camaragibe, on the outskirts of Recife.

In the municipality of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, which is part of the Recife metro area, a teenager died due to another landslide, and a woman was found dead inside a car submerged in water in a tunnel in Recife.

Two children were reported missing in Camaragibe. So was a 20-year-old man who was dragged by the river’s flow while having a bath.

The heavy rains caused massive floods in Recife, and fallen trees blocked several streets.

The Pernambuco Water and Climate Agency said that just on Thursday, they recorded a six-hour total rainfall of 117 mm in Recife, roughly equivalent to the ten-day average of precipitation in the area.