JUIZ FORA: Torrential rains in southeastern Brazil have left at least 23 people dead and 47 missing in flooding and landslides, officials said on Tuesday.

Streets turned into raging rivers, with one resident seen clinging to an electricity pole while another waved for help from a window, according to images shared by the fire brigade after the violent downpour which began on Monday.

The deluge in the state of Minas Gerais caused a river to burst its banks, prompting flooding, landslides, and building collapses.

The municipality of Juiz de Fora recorded 16 deaths and 43 missing and the city of Uba recorded seven deaths and four people missing, according to official figures.

Isolated neighbourhoods report at least 20 landslides, calling the situation extreme

Sniffer dogs ran over the debris and mud looking for victims, while residents joined in the hunt for lost loved ones.

Valtencir Coutinho told local broadcaster TV Globo he was looking for his six-year-old daughter Sophia under the rubble and prayed to find her alive. “We are fighting for that,” he said.

Record rainfall

Firefighters were responding to “flooding incidents, landslides, and structural risks along the banks and in areas near the Paraibuna River,” which overflowed its banks, said Lieutenant Henrique Barcellos, spokesman for the Minas Gerais fire department.

Juiz de Fora’s mayor, Margarida Salomao, declared a state of emergency. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his government recognised the state of emergency and placed the national civil defense on high alert.

“Our focus is to guarantee humanitarian assistance, the restoration of basic services, aid to displaced people, and support for reconstruction,” he wrote on X.

Salamao said her municipality of a little over half a million people was experiencing its wettest Febr­uary on record, with 584 millimetres (1.9 feet) of accumulated rainfall.

Some neighborhoods are isolated, with at least 20 landslides, Salomao said, calling the situation “extreme.” Her office said that an estimated 440 people had to leave their homes and were receiving support for temporary shelter.

“Nobody wants to stay here. We’re asking for help not only from the state government but also from the federal government,” Angelica Rezende Moreira, 44, owner of a restaurant, said.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2026