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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 10, 2002

At Least 34 Killed in Brazil Mudslides

Mudslides triggered by torrential rains slashed through this southeastern city Monday, burying houses and killing at least 34 people, firefighters said.


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Mudslides triggered by torrential rains slashed through this southeastern city Monday, burying houses and killing at least 34 people, firefighters said.

Some 1,500 people were driven from their homes by the torrent of water and mud in Angra dos Reis, a city of about 60,000 tucked between mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro.

In 24 hours, the city got more than 5 inches of rain nearly as much as the average rainfall for two weeks, the National Weather Institute in Rio said.

Dozens of firefighters waded through thigh-high mud near the site. Firefighters from neighboring cities joined the search for victims and tried to persuade hundreds of families in high-risk areas to leave their homes and go to shelters improvised in public schools.

The city's mayor, Fernando Jordao, declared a state of public calamity as the rain continued to fall late Monday.

Jordao also asked government energy authorities to shut down the city's two nuclear plants, Angra 1 and Angra 2, on grounds that exit roads were closed and the area could not be evacuated in an emergency.

Eletronuclear, which run the two plants, said they were operating normally and not affected by the rain. Workers were clearing mud and rocks from the main Rio-Santos highway, which was partially reopened to traffic late Monday.

Source: Agencies


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