Due to the rains, the state of Minas Gerais had 154 municipalities in emergency situation around 10:30 am this Sunday, according to Governor Romeu Zema, in an interview with CNN. Earlier, the Civil Defense report pointed to 138.
“Cities that until yesterday had not declared a state of emergency started to do so, because rivers overflowed. The last number I have is about 154 cities. But, most likely, with the heavy rains this weekend, it will be expanded”, he said.
“The good news is that in the next few days the rain will most likely stop. But right now the trend is that the number of cities will even rise because the rain continues”.
During the night, the rain continued. The water, according to information from the MG Fire Department, reached 2.5 meters high, after the Velhas River overflowed.
In the Civil Defense bulletin issued earlier, authorities pointed out occurrences in Sabará, Raposos, Brumadinho, Mário Campos, Betim, Nova Lima, Juatuba, Rio Maior, Mateus Leme and Contagem.
dam overflowed
Saturday’s rains caused a water containment structure at the Pau Branco Mine, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, to overflow, reaching the structure’s surroundings, including cars passing by the BR-040.
Km 562 of the highway, which passes near Mina do Pau Branco, remained closed this Sunday morning, according to the MG Highway Police, which reinforced that the blockade should continue until the end of works by Vallourec, which owns the mine.
Police also said that, as long as there is a large amount of rain in the region, there is no safe condition for freeing traffic in the area.
Stone slip in Capitol Hill
Excessive rains also caused a rockslide in Furnas Lake, a tourist spot located in Capitólio (MG), a city located about 280 kilometers from the capital Belo Horizonte. The accident, which left at least dead, involved speedboats that were at the site in the early afternoon of Saturday (8).
There are still two people missing, according to the latest Fire Department report. “Right now we have more than 70 men participating in the search for the victims,” Zema told CNN.
The governor also said that it is likely that, after geological studies, it will be determined that, in the rainy season, the canyon region will be without access for tourists.
Asked about those responsible for the tragedy, Zema emphasizes that we are talking about an area of jurisdiction of the Navy, “so it is something that we will have to analyze.”
Reference: CNN Brasil
