Four-story building collapsed in Rio de Janeiro: two-year-old girl died

A girl died on Thursday and at least four other people were injured when a four-story building collapsed in Rio de JaneiroAlthough there may still be more casualties in the rubble, according to official sources.

Six teams of firefighters and ambulances went to the outskirts of Rio das Pedras, located in the western area of ​​the capital Rio de Janeiro, and since this morning have been working on search and rescue efforts. In total, more than 100 rescuers have been deployed to the area.

One of the firefighters, Colonel Leandro Monteiro, told reporters the victim was a 2-3 year old girl. Four people were rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital, although two of them were released a few hours later.

Firefighters, however, believe there are two other victims inside the collapsed building who are being located. “It’s a very calm job, a lot of patience. Our dogs help a lot. We process information at all times, ”Monteiro told the channel. World.

The building was located almost at the intersection between Rua das Uvas and Avenida Areinhas. The surrounding streets were blocked off to facilitate rescue efforts.

According to the statements of some witnesses, loud noises were heard around 2:00 a.m. local time (5:00 a.m. GMT) and the building collapsed at 3:20 a.m. (6:20 a.m. GMT). A fire also broke out at the site, which has already been brought under control by firefighters.

“The biggest difficulty is convincing the inhabitants of neighboring buildings of the need to leave their homes and find a safe place”Monteiro said. Civil Defense is also working on the site and its technicians are assessing the damage that has occurred in four other buildings, neighbors of which it collapsed: one on the right and three in front.

Although the authorities did not provide details on the causes of the collapse, the deputy mayor of the western zone of Rio, Thalita Galhardo, did not rule out the property being an irregular construction, as is often the case with buildings erected in this area. “Unfortunately, the constructions here are not legal and this type of accident does happen eventually,” Galhardo said in an interview with the same outlet.

There is already a tragic history in the region. The building that collapsed on Thursday was located in the same area of ​​the community of Muzema, also in the peripheral region of Rio das Pedras, where the collapse of two buildings of irregular construction killed 24 people in April 2019.

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