Mudslide Kills Dozens at Brazilian Resort

Brazilian authorities say a huge slab of hillside loosened by torrential rain slid down a slope Friday and buried homes and a waterfront lodge at a resort near Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 15 people.

The mud destroyed three houses and an upmarket lodge on Ilha Grande, Angra dos Reis, near Rio de Janeiro.

About 50 people have now died in a series of landslides in and around Rio in the past two days.

The BBC is reporting that…Officials said most of the bodies recovered so far were found on land, but at least three had been pulled from the sea.

Witnesses told reporters the houses and the resort had been hit by a piece of the hillside measuring some 300m across.

The mudslides struck the inn at 4:30 a.m. in the haven for wealthy vacationers and celebrities. At least 40 people had been staying there.

Rio de Janeiro’s State Governor Sergio Cabral declared three days of mourning and ordered the state’s civil defense rescue teams on duty round the clock.

Let’s hope for the safety and health of all that are rescued, and let us mourn for all of the dead, from this horrible natural disaster.

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Sources-

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/01/brazil.floods/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8437207.stm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/01/brazil-mudslide-10-dead-h_n_408986.html