Rio de Janeiro, Europe Brief News – At least two were killed and dozens went missing in a landslide on a motorway in southern Brazil.
A landslide, which followed heavy rainfall, affected Brazil’s BR-376 highway, CNNE reports. Authorities believe mud buried six trailers, and up to 15 vehicles on the highway, as it tumbled on a 200 meter (656 foot) stretch of the road.
Rescue workers at the scene said bad weather and the remote location were complicating the search effort.
Local authorities told a news conference that two people were killed while between 30 and 50 people could be missing.
Emergency services have located six survivors, including the mayor of the coastal town of Guaratuba, Roberto Justus.
The torrent of mud came rushing down a steep hillside Monday after days of heavy rain in the state of Parana, hitting highway BR 367, officials said.
“It’s hard to know the exact number of victims. A vehicle could have one to five people inside. We’re working with an estimate of 30 to 50 people missing,” local official told a news conference.
The heavy rains also caused flooding and flash floods in other coastal municipalities.
There are 680 people and more than 500 houses affected, some of them destroyed, according to the official balance.
There are concerns there could be further landslides with national weather service INMET issuing heavy rain warnings.
