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BRAZIL-DISASTER
Death toll in Brazil buildings disaster rises to 10
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The death toll from the
collapse of two apartment buildings in Rio de Janeiro has risen to 10,
Brazilian officials said Monday, as rescuers search the rubble for 14 people
still missing.
Another 10 people were wounded when the adjacent structures in the poor
neighborhood of Muzema buckled on Friday morning when many of the occupants
would have been asleep or eating breakfast.
Rescuers are working around the clock with the help of sniffer dogs in the
hope of finding more survivors.
The buildings collapsed three days after torrential rain wreaked havoc in
the city.
Sections of road leading up to the hillside favela, which is at the foot of
a sheer cliff face, had been washed away, complicating rescue efforts.
Many of the cheaply made apartment towers in Muzema were erected without
permission from city planning authorities.
Like many poor neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, Muzema is run by shadowy
militias that use violence to enforce their rule.
They sell land rights and control access to city services such as water and
electricity.
Authorities have pledged to demolish some of the surrounding buildings in
Muzema to prevent further collapses.
But residents complained that Muzema and surrounding neighborhoods had long
been neglected by the Rio de Janeiro government.
As soon as illegal buildings were demolished, new ones were built in their
place, they said.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1956 hrs