In late December and early January, dozens were killed and tens of thousands displaced when rains hammered Bahia state, also located in north-eastern Brazil. Many of the deaths on Friday and Saturday occurred in Pernambuco state capital Recife. As in many urban areas in Brazil, many of Recife’s neighbourhoods have been built in locations vulnerable to land and mudslides. His main opponent in the October presidential election, leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, lamented the flooding on Twitter. “My solidarity to the families in the Recife metropolitan area who are suffering from the strong rains,” he wrote.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 29, 2022 10:41 UTC