“I had more courage than fear”, says young man who saved mother and children from floods in RJ

The young man who saved a mother and two children from a flood, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, did not usually make the journey that culminated in the rescue on Wednesday night (21), in Nova Iguaçu, in Baixada Fluminense.

According to Marcos Vinicius, 20 years old, the bus he was on changed route due to flooding and the change in route meant that his and the victims' destinations crossed.

“The flood made me change my route and help that family”, said Marcos, to CNN .

At the time of the rescue, it was raining heavily in Nova Iguaçu and the victims' car was swept away by the force of the water. Upon learning that the mother and young children were in trouble, Marcos Vinicius went to the bus door and managed to rescue the woman and two children. Seconds after the rescue, the car was carried away by the current.

“I was very scared, but I had more courage than fear. I just thought about helping and bringing the family to the bus”, said Marcos Vinicius.

After the rescue, the young man returned home and spent the entire morning helping his family, who were also affected by the rains in Nova Iguaçu.

The Fire Department confirmed that a woman died after her house collapsed in Barra do Piraí, in the south of the state. In Japeri, in Baixada Fluminense, the rains left two deaths, according to the Municipal Civil Defense. The victims are a child and a 24-year-old woman, who died in collapses in different parts of the city.

According to firefighters, in 24 hours there were more than 130 incidents related to the rain. At least four people are still missing after landslides.