Reuters reported that officials in Rio de Janiero said the death toll from mudslides has reached 224.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paz pledged $113 million in relief aid and gave officials authority to remove residents in dangerous areas, a move which has been met with resistance from some residents.
Torrential rains began pounding the city on April 5 triggering mudslides in poor slum neighborhoods around the city. Firefighters are still working to uncover survivors and bodies. The worst slide happened on April 7 in Niterói, a city across the bay from Rio, destroying a hillside shantytown built on an old trash dump.
Around 200 people are feared to have been buried in the slide, which could bring the death toll to over 400 according Agence France-Presse.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paz pledged $113 million in relief aid and gave officials authority to remove residents in dangerous areas, a move which has been met with resistance from some residents.
Torrential rains began pounding the city on April 5 triggering mudslides in poor slum neighborhoods around the city. Firefighters are still working to uncover survivors and bodies. The worst slide happened on April 7 in Niterói, a city across the bay from Rio, destroying a hillside shantytown built on an old trash dump.
Around 200 people are feared to have been buried in the slide, which could bring the death toll to over 400 according Agence France-Presse.