At least six dead in Brazil after powerful storm lashes Rio de Janeiro
Firefighters remove the body of a victim from a damaged bus, which was hit by a mudslide after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second-largest city, awoke to scenes of chaos on Thursday after thrashing wind and rain whipped through neighborhoods, felling trees, flooding streets and sweeping away buses in a storm that killed at least six people.
Some of Rio's most iconic neighborhoods, including tourist hot spots like Ipanema and Copacabana, were battered by winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour (68 mph) on Wednesday night, with precarious hillside favelas hit by mudslides that closed roads.
At least six people died, with two of them killed when a bus was buried by a mudslide while driving along an exposed coastal road, authorities said.
Firefighters search for victims inside a damaged bus, which was hit by a mudslide after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
"It was a lot of water that ended up causing this tragedy," Rio's mayor, Marcelo Crivella, told local news media. "It was unexpected."
The storm came just days after Rio experienced its hottest January in 97 years, with temperatures rising as high as 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
On Thursday, doormen swept up branches outside upscale apartment buildings, while street cleaners fanned out across the city, trying to bring order to the post-apocalyptic scenes.
Firefighters search for victims inside a damaged bus, which was hit by a mudslide after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
In Arpoador, on Ipanema's world-famous beach, a small sailboat was washed up on shore. The couple inside managed to escape when it was swept ashore, local media reported.
During Wednesday night, many people had been stranded in restaurants and bars when the storm hit, watching with fear and incredulity as winds tore through the streets, flattening signs and blasting parasols.
TV images showed one man being swept away by a raging torrent of water that gushed through the Rocinha favela, while other reports displayed cars succumbing to the flow.
Firefighters remove the body of a victim from a damaged bus, which was hit by a mudslide after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
Crivella noted that Rio was not yet out of danger, with more rains due later on Thursday.
"They will be less intense rains, with less powerful winds," he said. "We ask that people stay in a safe location."
A fallen tree is seen after heavy rains in Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Pedro Fonseca; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Bernadette Baum)
Ari Ribeiro da Paz, 61, talks on his mobile inside his damaged house after heavy rains in Barra de Guaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo MoraesA beached sailboat is seen on Arpoador beach after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA broken electric post is seen after heavy rains in Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA tree is seen fallen over an electric post after heavy rains in Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA resident takes a picture from her window after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesCars are seen on a flooded street after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA woman walks on a flooded street after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA fallen tree is seen after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA man walks by a fallen tree after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA man walks by a fallen tree after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA man walks with his dog next to a fallen tree after heavy rains in Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA fallen tree is seen near Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesAn electric post is seen fallen over a taxi after heavy rains in Gavea neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA beached sailboat is seen on Arpoador beach after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA surfer walks next to a beached sailboat on Arpoador beach after heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesThe collapsed area of a cycle lane is pictured after heavy rains near Sao Conrado beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesThe collapsed area of a cycle lane is pictured after heavy rains near Sao Conrado beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesThe collapsed area of a cycle lane is pictured after heavy rains near Sao Conrado beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesA house damaged after heavy rains is pictured in Barra de Guaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo MoraesA house damaged after heavy rains is pictured in Barra de Guaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo MoraesA house damaged after heavy rains is pictured in Barra de Guaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo MoraesDamaged houses after heavy rains are pictured in Barra de Guaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
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