Brazil mudslides kill at least 94, with dozens still missing
Rio de Janeiro state’s government has confirmed 94 deaths from floods and mudslides that swept away homes and cars in the city of Petropolis. But even as families prepared to bury their dead, it was unclear Thursday how many bodies remained trapped in the mud, Associated Press reported.
Rubens Bomtempo, mayor of the German-influenced city nestled in the mountains, didn’t even offer an estimate for the number of people missing, with recovery efforts still ongoing.
“We don’t yet know the full scale of this,” Bomtempo said at a news conference Wednesday. “It was a hard day, a difficult day.”
More than 24 hours after the deadly deluge early Tuesday, survivors were digging to find lost loved ones. Rio de Janeiro’s public prosecutors’ office said in a statement Wednesday night that it had compiled a list of 35 people yet to be located.
Footage posted on social media showed torrents dragging cars and houses through the streets and water swirling through the city. One video showed two buses sinking into a swollen river as its passengers clambered out the windows, scrambling for safety. Some didn’t make it to the banks and were washed away, out of sight.
On Wednesday morning, houses were left buried beneath mud while appliances and cars were in piles on the streets.
Petropolis, named for a former Brazilian emperor, has been a refuge for people escaping the summer heat and tourists keen to explore the so-called “Imperial City.”
Its prosperity has also drawn poorer residents from Rio’s poorer regions. Its population grew haphazardly, climbing mountainsides now covered with small residences packed tightly together. Many are in areas unfit for structures and made more vulnerable by deforestation and inadequate drainage.
The state fire department said 25.8 centimeters (just over 10 inches) of rain fell within three hours on Tuesday -- almost as much as during the previous 30 days combined. Rio de Janeiro’s Gov. Claudio Castro said in a press conference that the rains were the worst Petropolis has received since 1932.
“No one could predict rain as hard as this,” Castro said. More rain is expected through the rest of the week, according to weather forecasters.
Castro added that almost 400 people were left homeless and 24 people were recovered alive.
They were fortunate, and they were few.
“I could only hear my brother yelling, ‘Help! Help! My God!’” resident Rosilene Virginia told The Associated Press as a man comforted her. “It’s very sad to see people asking for help and having no way of helping, no way of doing anything. It’s desperate, a feeling of loss so great.”
The stricken mountain region has seen similar catastrophes in recent decades, including one that caused more than 900 deaths. In the years since, Petropolis presented a plan to reduce risks of landslides, but works have been advancing only slowly. The plan, presented in 2017, was based on analysis determining that 18% of the city’s territory was at high risk for landslides and flooding.
Local authorities say more than 180 residents who live in at-risk areas are sheltering in schools. More equipment and manpower is expected to help rescue efforts on Thursday.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro expressed solidarity while on a trip to Russia. Petropolis’ city hall declared three days of mourning for the tragedy.
Southeastern Brazil has been punished with heavy rains since the start of the year, with more than 40 deaths recorded between incidents in Minas Gerais state in early January and Sao Paulo state later the same month.
Bus hit kills 2 pedestrians in Balaju
Two persons died when a bus hit them in Balaju, Kathmandu on Thursday.
Police identified the deceased as Bikash Tamang (18). The identity of another person, who appears to be in her mid 50s, is yet to be established.
The bus hit the duo while they were crossing the road in front of the Ganga Hall in Balaju at around 6 am today.
Critically injured in the incident, they breathed their last on the way to a hospital.
Police said that the bus driver fled the scene after the incident.
4 held with fake bank notes
Police arrested four persons in possession of counterfeit Nepali currency notes worth Rs 294, 000 from Nayabazaar area of KMC-16.
Three detainees have been identified as Prithvi Prasad Sah (28), Mohammad Samsad Alam (28) of Gaur Municipality-12 of Rautahat, Mohammad Musarraf Ali (27) and Asaraf Ali (30) of Rajpur Municipality-3 of Rautahat.
All the banknotes are in denomination of Rs 1, 000.
Police said that they are looking into the case.
Covid vaccination during pregnancy helps protect babies after birth: US study
Vaccinating pregnant women against the coronavirus may help prevent Covid-19 hospitalizations in infants after they are born, especially if the expecting mothers got the shots later in their pregnancy, US researchers reported on Tuesday.
The findings shed light on whether the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy extend to infants who would be too young to receive vaccines.
Researchers from several pediatric hospitals and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at children under six months old between July 2021 and January 2022.
The study analyzed data from 379 hospitalized infants - 176 with Covid-19 and 203 who were admitted for other issues. It found that Covid-19 vaccines were 61 percent effective overall at preventing hospitalizations in children whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy.
That protection rose to 80 percent when the mothers were vaccinated 21 weeks through 14 days before delivery. Vaccination effectiveness fell to 32 percent for the babies whose mothers were inoculated earlier during pregnancy.
The study authors warned that the estimates for effectiveness earlier in pregnancy should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size.
“Right now we want to ensure that we are protecting both the mom and the infant,” CDC’s Dana Meaney-Delman told reporters. “So as soon as a pregnant woman is willing to be vaccinated, she should so ahead and do so.”
Pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19, and having Covid during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm birth, stillbirth and possibly other pregnancy complications, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that women who are pregnant, are breastfeeding, are trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future get vaccinated and stay up to date with Covid-19 shots.
Previous studies have shown that Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy was not associated with preterm delivery or underweight newborns
