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BRAZIL-DISASTER
Death toll in Brazil buildings disaster hits 15
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 16, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The death toll from the
collapse of two apartment buildings in Rio de Janeiro last week has risen to
15, Brazilian officials said Tuesday, as hopes fade for the nine others still
missing.
Four days after the disaster struck a poor hillside neighborhood, rescuers
are working around the clock searching for survivors in the rubble with the
help of sniffer dogs.
Another 10 people were injured when the adjacent buildings in Muzema
favela buckled, days after torrential rain wreaked havoc in the city.
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 areas 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/RY/1935 hrs