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. </s> Death toll from collapse of buildings in Brazil rises to 7

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian firefighters say the death toll from the collapse of a pair of buildings in Rio de Janeiro has risen to seven, with 10 others injured.

The Rio fire department's press office said Saturday that 17 people are also listed as missing.

The condemned four-story buildings collapsed Friday in the hillside neighborhood of Itanhanga, an area that was hard hit by recent heavy rains and flash floods.

Fire department Col. Luciano Sarmento said he hoped survivors would be found because "air pockets may have been formed allowing people to breathe."

Authorities are combing through the rubble in an around-the-clock search.

Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella said earlier that the area where the buildings stood was run by militias that control large swaths of Rio. </s> Firefighters on Friday dug through rubble in search of survivors after two small buildings collapsed in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least two people and leaving another two injured. 

 

 The collapse of the two four-story buildings underscored the shoddy infrastructure that plagues Latin America's largest nation and put a spotlight on illegal militias that control large swaths of Rio, including the area where the buildings collapsed. 

 

 A statement from the office of Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella said the area was run by militias and the buildings did not have permits. Authorities were only able to reach the area while being accompanied by police in November, when they condemned the buildings, according to the statement.

Militias, made up of former firefighters, police and soldiers, charge residents for basic services in areas they control. 

 

 The incident took place in a part of the city that also was particularly hard hit by heavy rains this week that caused massive flooding and killed at least 10 people. Mud from the flooding still lined the streets near where the buildings collapsed. 

 

 A spokesman for firefighters told The Associated Press that two bodies had been recovered from the collapsed buildings 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. 

 

 Collapsing structures are common in Brazil, which suffers from poor infrastructure in many areas. Corruption and spotty oversight can exacerbate the problem, as many buildings are constructed illegally. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazilian firefighters say the death toll from the collapse of a pair of buildings in Rio de Janeiro has risen to seven, with 10 others injured.

The Rio fire department's press office said Saturday that 17 people are also listed as missing.

The condemned four-story buildings collapsed Friday in the hillside neighborhood of Itanhanga, an area that was hard hit by recent heavy rains and flash floods.

Fire department Col. Luciano Sarmento said he hoped survivors would be found because "air pockets may have been formed allowing people to breathe."

Authorities are combing through the rubble in an around-the-clock search.

Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella said earlier that the area where the buildings stood was run by militias that control large swaths of Rio.

A firefighter pets his dog as they look for survivors amid the debris of two buildings that collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019, one day after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

People walk on a damaged street due the heavy rain and next to the site where two buildings collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A father embraces his son as he waits for some news about his missing wife who was in one of two buildings that collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A father embraces his son as he waits for some news about his missing wife who was in one of two buildings that collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) </s> RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - At least two people died and two more were injured when two unlicensed buildings in a militia-controlled outer borough of Rio de Janeiro collapsed on Friday, just days after deadly rains caused chaos in Brazil’s second largest city.

It was unclear why the four-story buildings, located in the western neighborhood of Itanhangá, collapsed. Locals said at least four families were living in the buildings, which were undergoing construction. An unknown number of people were still missing, locals and officials said.

“Two people were injured and two were killed, and teams are on the scene looking for survivors who may be buried,” a fire department spokesman said.

The mayor’s office said the two buildings were irregular constructions, which had not been authorized. Brazilian cities underwent rapid and mostly unplanned urbanization in the last six decades, giving rise to vast shantytowns, erected haphazardly without adhering to building codes.

Powerful militias - originally created to defend inhabitants from drug gangs, but which now act as fearsome local crime outfits - have a strong presence in the neighborhood where the buildings collapsed. Militias often control gas and electricity services, but now make huge profits by stealing land and illegally selling it for construction projects.

“As (the region) is dominated by militias, the technicians of the municipal inspection office usually require the support of the military police to carry out inspections there,” the mayor’s office said in a statement, adding that it had shuttered several unauthorized constructions nearby last November.

A man who said he was a resident in one of the buildings told reporters that he made it out after hearing a snap.

“I managed to escape, but there were people left behind,” said the man, who declined to give his name.

The buildings collapsed just days after Rio de Janeiro was hit by record rains that caused severe damage across the city. At least 10 people died in the storm on Monday night, which led city authorities to declare a state of emergency. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Rescuers still hope to find survivors in the rubble of a pair of collapsed buildings in Rio de Janeiro, officials said Saturday, as the death toll from the disaster rose to seven with 17 people listed as missing.

The condemned four-story buildings collapsed Friday in the hillside neighborhood of Itanhanga, an area that was hard hit by recent heavy rains and flash floods.

Civil defense workers, firefighters, trained dogs and drones were searching around-the-clock for survivors in the rubble.

Luciano Sarmento of Rio's fire department said Saturday he hoped survivors would be found because "air pockets may have been formed allowing people to breathe."

Buildings next to those that fell were evacuated for fear of new collapses. Residents were allowed into their homes for a few minutes to retrieve personal belongings.

According to Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella the area was run by militias that control large swaths of Rio, including the area where the buildings stood.

A father embraces his son as he waits for some news about his missing wife who was in one of two buildings that collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Militias, which are made up of former firefighters, police and soldiers, charge residents for basic services in areas they control.

When they began forming decades ago, many saw them as a force for good because they provided security that the state could not. Today, however, such groups are full-fledged criminal organizations which are often considered the most severe security threat in Rio.

A father embraces his son as he waits for some news about his missing wife who was in one of two buildings that collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A father embraces his son as he waits for some news about his missing wife who was in one of two buildings that collapsed in Muzema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) </s> RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Firefighters dug through rubble Friday in search of survivors after two condemned buildings collapsed in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least three people, injuring 13 and leaving another 13 missing.…

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Firefighters dug through rubble Friday in search of survivors after two condemned buildings collapsed in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least three people, injuring 13 and leaving another 13 missing.

The collapse of the four-story buildings underscored the shoddy infrastructure that plagues Latin America’s largest nation and put a spotlight on illegal militias that control large swaths of Rio, including the area where the buildings stood.

A statement from the office of Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella said the area was run by militias and the buildings did not have permits. Authorities were only able to reach the area while being accompanied by police in November, when they condemned the buildings, according to the statement.

Militias, which are made up of former firefighters, police and soldiers, charge residents for basic services in areas they control. When they began forming decades ago, many saw them as a force for good because they provided security that the state could not. Today, however, such groups are full-fledged criminal organizations which are often considered the most severe security threat in Rio.

In a practice called “grilagem,” militias often take control of public land and build illegal housing to rent informally. Many Brazilians choose to live in the residences because the prices are cheaper than legally registered buildings, but there are no regulations or safety checks.

Last year, posts on social media advertised units in the buildings that collapsed. The posts made clear that they were not legal, but said the apartments were “beautiful investments” with elevators, round-the-clock security and easy access to public transportation.

The social media posts came from users who claimed to work for a real estate company called Imobiliaria Muzema. The Brazilian real estate regulation agency CRECI told The Associated Press that it has no registration of a company with that name.

An investigation last year by Brazilian news agency O Globo flagged Imobilaria Muzema as being responsible for selling properties built illegally by militias.

The two buildings that collapsed Friday were in a part of the city that also was particularly hard hit by heavy rains that caused massive flooding Friday and killed at least 10 people. Mud from the flooding still lined the streets.

Following a similar downpour in February, Mayor Crivella told daily TV Globo that authorities had cleared militias from the area, and the city was working to improve the drainage system.

Residents told the AP Friday that militia members never left the area and were still charging for many basic services. The residents asked that their names not be used for fear of retribution.

Col. Marcelo Gisler, deputy commander of Rio’s Civil Defense force, said at an impromptu press conference that two people died at the scene, five people were rescued by residents before firefighters arrived, six after, and three were in the process of being pulled from the rubble. Gisler indicated they had information of 13 people potentially missing in the wreckage.

“We’re using every means possible to try and find survivors. Dogs are very effective in situations like this, and we are using drones and aircraft,” Gisler said.

A resident identified as Claudio Rodrigues, 41, was pulled from the rubble alive but died at the hospital, according to Brazilian newspaper O Dia.

The identities of the other victims were not released.

As the afternoon wore on, helicopters struggled to land on the rubble because of fears that the ground was unstable, and instead hovered above to load the injured.

The city also rigged artificial lights and reflectors to enable firefighters to continue their search into the night, and Rio’s infrastructure secretary Sebastion Bruno said the buildings surrounding the site were at risk.

“Our job now is to anchor the surrounding buildings as they are at risk of collapse. The structure closest to site was hit during the event, and it is only held up because it is anchored by the building surrounding it,” he said in a video released by the mayor’s office.

Video journalist Renato Domingues in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Rescuers still hope to find survivors in the rubble of a pair of collapsed buildings in Rio de Janeiro, officials said Saturday, as the death toll from the disaster rose to seven, with 17 people listed as missing.

The condemned four-storey buildings collapsed Friday in Muzema, a part of the hillside neighbourhood of Itanhanga, an area that was hard hit by recent heavy rains and flash floods.

Civil defence workers, firefighters, trained dogs and drones were searching around-the-clock for survivors in the rubble.

Luciano Sarmento, of Rio's fire department, said Saturday he hoped survivors would be found because "air pockets may have been formed allowing people to breathe."

Buildings next to those that fell were evacuated for fear of new collapses. Residents were allowed into their homes for a few minutes to retrieve personal belongings.

According to Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella, the area where the buildings stood is run by militias that control large swaths of Rio. Militias, which are made up of former firefighters, police and soldiers, charge residents for basic services in areas they control.

When they began forming decades ago, many saw them as a force for good because they provided security that the state could not. Today, however, such groups are full-fledged criminal organizations which are often considered the most severe security threat in Rio. </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.
Two buildings collapse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing nine people and leaving fifteen others missing. The buildings were irregularly built.