Firefighters keep searching for survivors after two buildings collapsed leaving at least seven victims and seventeen people missing, according the authorities. (Leo Correa/Associated Press)RIO DE JANEIRO — Rescuers still hope to find survivors in the rubble of a pair of collapsed buildings in Rio de Janeiro, officials said Saturday, as the death toll from the disaster rose to eight with 16 people listed as missing. The condemned four-story buildings collapsed Friday in the hillside neighborhood of Itanhanga, an area that was hard hit by recent heavy rains and flash floods. According to Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella the area was run by militias that control large swaths of Rio, including the area where the buildings stood. Militias, which are made up of former firefighters, police and soldiers, charge residents for basic services in areas they control.

Source: Washington Post April 13, 2019 19:41 UTC