A mudslide struck a small luxury hotel filled with New Years revelers on an island near Rio de Janeiro Friday, killing at least 14 people and leaving 35 more missing under tons of mud and debris.
The hotel and several houses on the island of Ilha Grande in Rio state were enveloped in mud after days of heavy rain that have caused at least 32 deaths across the region in the last 48 hours.
“It is a vision of horror,” said Rio’s deputy governor Luiz Fernando Pezao told CBN radio, “a mountain of rocks and trees covering various homes.”
The Hotel Sankay was full to capacity with about 40 guests bringing in the New Year at the idyllic getaway perched on a jungle-covered hillside, authorities said.
The nationalities of the deceased were not immediately known.
Officials said dozens of people were still missing and believed buried by landslides, set off after rain began inundating the region at midweek.
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“Eleven bodies were pulled from the wreckage and three more were found in the water,” the government said in a statement, as rescue workers continued to comb the rubble.
Dozens of rescue workers and firefighters wrestled to remove tonnes of mud and vegetation in the hope of finding survivors.
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