At least 5 killed in new floods in Brazil's Petropolis
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New floods triggered by torrential rains in the Brazilian tourist town of Petropolis killed at least five people, authorities said Monday, just over a month after a similar tragedy claimed 233 lives.
Four more people remain missing after a month's worth of rain fell in a matter of hours Sunday on the scenic city in the mountains outside Rio de Janeiro, emergency officials said.
Reviving memories of the deadly February 15 storms, Petropolis residents posted videos online of streets turned to torrential rivers that swept up everything in their path -- even a series of crosses erected in memory of the victims of last month's floods and landslides.
"Emergency services have so far responded to more than 50 calls for landslides and rescues for stranded individuals," officials said in a statement.
Authorities said nearly 100 damaged homes and other incidents had been reported, mostly due to landslides.
Twenty-eight people were rescued alive, they said.
The city, which sits in the mountains around 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Rio, was the 19th-century summer capital of the Brazilian empire.
Known for its leafy streets, stately homes and imperial palace -- today a museum -- it is also prone to deadly landslides, especially in the poor hillside communities that ring the city.
Officials set up 20 emergency shelters that are housing more than 500 people, they said.
More rain was forecast for Monday, though less intense.
Two other people were killed in Angra dos Reis, around 180 kilometers (110 miles) to the southwest, when a tree fell on their car in heavy rains there.
Brazil has been swept by a series of deadly storms in recent months that experts say are being aggravated by climate change.