At Least 30 Dead in Minas Gerais Floods

At least 30 people have died and dozens remain missing in southeastern Brazil's Minas Gerais state following torrential rains that triggered severe flooding and landslides, officials reported this week. The disaster, which began late Monday, has devastated the cities of Juiz de Fora and Ubá, located about 310 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro, forcing hundreds of residents from their homes and prompting widespread emergency responses.

Rescue operations continued through the night in the affected areas, where search teams equipped with sniffer dogs combed through mud-covered streets and collapsed hillsides. In Juiz de Fora, a city of around 560,000 people, authorities confirmed at least 20 landslides since the downpours started, with several homes buried under debris. Firefighters reported pulling a 10-year-old boy alive from the rubble after a two-hour effort, offering a rare moment of hope amid emotional scenes of families waiting for news. Major Demetrius Goulart of the Minas Gerais fire department noted that many victims were inside their homes when the floods struck overnight, as swollen rivers burst their banks and turned neighborhoods into rivers of sludge.