Petrópolis: heavy rainfall causes landslides and floods

Extremely heavy rainfall in the town of Petrópolis in Brazil triggered landslides and floods yesterday.  At the time of writing, the death toll had risen to 23 people, but this may change in the coming hours.

There are at least 49 reported landslides across the region.  At least one significant, fatal landslide occurred in Morro de Oficina, with at least six fatalities reported.

There are some dramatic videos of the events.  This one shows a very rapid debris flow cutting through the city:-

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Whilst the one below shows an extraordinarily destructive landslide destroying houses:-

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Globo news reports indicate that Petrópolis received extraordinary levels of rainfall:-

“The highest hourly record is 125.8 mm/h at 5:15 pm in the Alto da Serra (INEA) rain gauge. In São Sebastião, the accumulated rainfall in 6 hours reached 259.8 mm at 9:10 pm”

Rainfall intensities of over 100 mm per hour are rare worldwide, and nearly always cause huge problems.

There are few reliable photographs at this stage – these are likely to emerge later today.  However, the image below has been widely tweeted, with indications that it was taken at Morro de Oficina.  It would appear to indicate a large, highly destructive event:-

Image reportedly showing the aftermath of a landslide at Morro da Oficina in Petrópolis. Image widely tweeted.