RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Officials in Rio de Janeiro say torrential downpours and strong winds have killed at least five people and left a trail of destruction.

The press office of the Rio de Janeiro fire department announced the death toll Thursday.

Rio's Mayor Marcelo Crivella decreed three days of mourning for the victims.

Crivella said: "In two hours the amount of rain that fell on the city was equivalent to the rainfall for the entire month."

He added: "Meteorologists never imagined that the storm would be as violent as it was."

The Rio Operations Center said that strong winds of up to 68 mph (109 kph) knocked down trees and caused heavy flooding in several streets.

The center monitors weather, traffic, trash collection, electricity, water, gas and emergency situations, among other things. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO — Officials in Rio de Janeiro say torrential downpours and strong winds have killed at least five people and left a trail of destruction.

The press office of the Rio de Janeiro fire department announced the death toll Thursday.

Rio’s Mayor Marcelo Crivella decreed three days of mourning for the victims.

Crivella said: “In two hours the amount of rain that fell on the city was equivalent to the rainfall for the entire month.”

He added: “Meteorologists never imagined that the storm would be as violent as it was.”

The Rio Operations Center said that strong winds of up to 68 mph (109 kph) knocked down trees and caused heavy flooding in several streets.

The centre monitors weather, traffic, trash collection, electricity, water, gas and emergency situations, among other things. </s> A storm that brought torrential rains and tropical storm-force winds to Rio de Janeiro left six people dead, Brazilian authorities said Thursday.

Two people were killed and two others injured when a home collapsed in the western part of the city, while a mudslide in Rocinha, Rio's largest favela (shantytown) claimed one life. </s> The Niteroi municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro has been hit by heavy rains for two days. The landslide occurred on Saturday leaving at least nine people dead and two more missing, according to the RCN radio broadcaster.

“Some people still remain missing, we are working to find out whether they were in their houses [when the landslide occurred],” a representative of the civil defense service of the state of Rio de Janeiro said.

According to the civil defense service, 11 people including three children have already been rescued. A total of 200 rescuers are working at the site with the search and rescue operation going to last for at least 48 hours.

READ MORE: At Least 5 Killed, Dozens Missing After Landslide in N Philippines – Reports </s> RIO DE JANEIRO: At least two people were killed Friday when two buildings collapsed in a hillside neighborhood west of Rio de Janeiro, a region hard hit by heavy rain and flash floods in the past days, firefighters said.

The contiguous four-story buildings were located in the Itanhanga favela, located 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of downtown Rio. Itanhanga was drenched by the storm that struck the Rio area three days ago and resulted in multiple deaths.

At least two other people were injured by the collapse of the buildings, said the firefighters, who searched in the rubble for survivors and have cordoned off a large area to prevent gawkers from approaching.

The mayor of Itanhanga said that the buildings did not have proper construction permits, local media reported.

The unusually heavy rain, which began late Monday and continued into Tuesday, triggered flash flooding across the Rio de Janeiro area that turned some streets into raging rivers, uprooting trees and sweeping away vehicles.

Heavy runoff from neighboring hills gushed through some apartment buildings and shops, leaving behind mud and debris. </s> Authorities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, say that at least 10 people have died after heavy rain triggered a landslide in a residential area.The landslide occurred on 10 November, 2018, in the Boa Esperança Community in Piratininga, Niterói, in metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. At least 6 houses were destroyed.The Fire Department reported that 11 people were rescued from the debris. It is feared the deaths could rise and rescue workers are continuing to searching for survivors.Civil defence in the city (Proteção e Defesa Civil da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro) received 135 calls for assistance between 07 and 09 November due to heavy rains in the city. </s> At least 10 people have been killed in Rio de Janeiro after a mudslide in the Niteroi area outside the city’s downtown on Saturday, officials said.

The mudslide was caused by heavy downpours, Rio’s civil defence department head told local media.

The Rio fire department said the dead included a three-year-old boy, two elderly women and a middle-aged man. It did not give any more information about the victims.

According to rescuers, nine homes and a local business were affected by the landslide after days of heavy rain. Eleven people have been rescued from the rubble, including a baby, while at least four people are still missing.

Pastor Pedro Paulo dos Santos called the scene in the Boa Esperanca neighbourhood “a scene of desperation, of crying”.

Emergency workers were notified of the landslide at just after 06:00 GMT.

Landslides are common in Rio de Janeiro. Many residents live in hilly areas of the state, often building homes without authorisation </s> At least 10 people died and 11 others were injured Saturday in a mudslide in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, official sources said.

According to Rio firefighters, eleven people were rescued alive in Morro da Boa Esperança, in the municipality of Niteroi, though at least four others are still missing. </s> In wake of floods, 2 buildings collapse in Rio, killing 2

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Two small buildings in Rio de Janeiro collapsed on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring two others, Brazilian authorities said.

The collapse came in a western part of the city that was particularly hard hit by heavy rains this week that caused massive flooding and killed at least 10 people.

A spokesman for firefighters told The Associated Press that two bodies had been recovered and the area was being cordoned off to search. In keeping with agency protocol, the spokesman asked his name not be used.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were inside when the buildings collapsed.

Images on Globo Television showed residents walking over debris, apparently looking for survivors.

Collapsing structures are common in Latin America's largest nation, which suffers from poor infrastructure in many areas. Corruption and spotty oversight can exacerbate the problem, as many structures are built illegally.
Heavy rain hits Rio de Janeiro, leaving three people dead and two missing.