Brazil: Rains in Sao Paulo Leave 54 Dead So Far

The death toll from the rains that swept the coast of São Paulo has risen to 54, as Brazilian authorities found five more bodies in Sao Sebastiao on Friday.

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Fifty-three deaths have been reported in Sao Sebastiao, the locality most affected by the rains, and only one in neighboring Ubatuba. Most of the deaths were due to landslides following heavy storms last weekend. 

Search and rescue efforts continue, focusing mainly on missing persons in São Sebastião and Ubatuba. About thirty people are still missing in the two cities.

"The current priority remains to help the victims and supply the more than 2 251 displaced and 1 815 homeless people," according to the regional government of São Paulo.

In statements to the press, the Integration Minister, Waldez Góes, attributed to "an accumulation of housing problems" the disaster registered "in a country that has some four million people living in risk areas."

In this regard, the official said the government has already begun to develop popular housing plans throughout the country aimed at moving people out of these risk areas in an orderly manner.

According to the Minister, this situation "is aggravated by the phenomenon of climate change." Meteorologists reported that moderate to heavy rains could occur this day. It is feared that further rains could occur in the coming days in risk areas of the region.

A Navy aircraft carrier anchored Thursday off the coast of São Sebastião to serve as a floating hospital. It is equipped with 300 beds and 50 doctors to help relieve overcrowded hospitals. A "crisis cabinet" of the Federal Government, headed by the Integration Minister, has also been installed in the area.

The São Paulo government urged tourists not to travel to the affected regions to avoid overloading hospital care, road traffic, and water and food supplies in the tourist region.