Heavy rains in Brazil's northeast kill at least 35

29/5/2022 6:35

        At least 35 people died amid heavy rainfall in northeastern Brazil on Friday and Saturday, as downpours lashed two major cities on the Atlantic coast, in what is the South American nation's fourth major flooding event in five months.
        
        In the state of Pernambuco, at least 33 people had died as of Saturday afternoon, as rains provoked landslides that wiped away hillside urban neighborhoods, according to the state's official Twitter account. Another 765 people were forced to leave their homes, at least temporarily, according to the state government.
        
        Authorities in the neighboring state of Alagoas had registered two deaths, according to Brazil's federal emergency service.
        
        While much of Brazil spent the majority of 2021 in a severe drought, unusually intense rains started to arrive in the final months of the year.
        
        The often-deadly flooding that followed has provoked debate over the potential role of climate change in Brazil's volatile weather pattern and has focused attention on the nation's often-haphazard urban planning.