A catastrophic flooding event continues to unfold in southeastern Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, where torrential rains have claimed at least 36 lives and left dozens missing. Rescue operations persist under urgent conditions as meteorological forecasts predict additional precipitation in the coming days.
The devastating impact has been concentrated in the municipalities of Juiz de Fora and Uba, located approximately 310 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro. According to the latest figures from Minas Gerais fire authorities, 33 individuals remain unaccounted for while approximately 3,000 residents have been forcibly evacuated from their homes due to rising waters and landslide threats.
Juiz de Fora, a urban center of 560,000 inhabitants, has been transformed into a landscape of mud-covered thoroughfares and destabilized terrain. Neighboring Uba, with its population of 107,000, has seen complete suspension of normal activities, including educational services which have been halted in both municipalities.
Municipal authorities in Juiz de Fora reported that the region has experienced double the average February rainfall, triggering at least 20 separate landslide incidents since the precipitation began on Monday evening. Approximately 600 families residing in high-risk zones are being transferred to emergency shelters established in local educational facilities.
The federal government has mobilized national resources in response to the emergency. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed via official communications that security forces have been deployed for search and rescue operations while medical teams have been dispatched to assist affected communities in the topographically vulnerable region characterized by hills, valleys, slopes.