An undetermined number of tourists who had gathered for Brazil’s carnival celebrations were trapped after unprecedented rains pounded cities in a short span of time.
The cities of Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela, and Bertioga – which are hardest hit – had to abruptly cancel their carnival festivities to undertake the work of rescue to find those missing, injured, and dead after the calamity struck.
Visuals from some of the worst-hit areas showed entire neighbourhoods inundated in water with only roofs visible of some houses, while highways and roads remained cut off with fallen trees.
A road that connects Rio de Janeiro to the city of Santos was cut off after landslides and floodwaters.
Residents and rescue workers are bracing for heavy rains which will continue to lash Sao Paulo’s coastal area, challenging evacuations, and rescue and relief work.
Sao Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, has declared a 180-day state of calamity for its six cities after what experts described as an “unprecedented, extreme weather event”.
The state government said the precipitation in the region has surpassed 600mm (23.6 inches) in one day, which is one of the highest volumes in a short period of time.
Felipe Augusto, the mayor of San Sebastiao which is 200km (120 miles) north of Sao Paulo, confirmed 23 deaths as of Monday.
“We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims,” said Mr Augusto, describing the situation as “extremely critical”.
“We are working at nearly 50 residences that collapsed under the force of the water and there are still people buried,” he told Globo news.
Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas said he has requested support from the army, which sent two airplanes and rescue teams to the region, allocating $1.5m in funds for rescue operations.
He added that he is scheduled to meet federal officials to coordinate the response to the tragedy.
In the port city of Santos, rescue works were interrupted by wind gusts exceeding 55 kpm (34 mph) and waves over one metre high on Saturday, according to a local news outlet.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was on holiday, spending the carnival in Bahia state in Brazil‘s northeast, is set to visit the main affected areas on Monday, his office said.
“We are going to bring together all levels of government and, with the solidarity of society, treat the wounded, look for the missing, restore highways, power connections and telecommunications in the region. My condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy,” he said in a tweet.
He added that the federal government has mobilised the army to join the search and rescue efforts.