Brazilian soldiers have arrived in Teresopolis, one of the towns worst affected by deadly mudslides in the state of Rio de Janeiro, to assist with the rescue efforts.
Officials say at least 600 people are known to have died in the floods.
In the town of Nova Friburgo, officials are burying unidentified bodies because of a lack of mortuary space.
State governor Sergio Cabral has declared seven days of mourning for the victims of the disaster.
Major Alexandre Aragon, who commands the troops in Teresopolis, said he had been given a threefold mission: to support the rescue efforts, to help recover and identify bodies, and to guard against looting.
The military will also try to clear some of the blocked roads which have forced rescuers to reach some of the worst-hit areas on foot.
About 100 soldiers have also been deployed to the Cuiaba valley, which has been cut off since the heaviest downpours in 44 years tore through the mountainous area near Rio de Janeiro.
Rescue workers fear the number of dead will continue to rise as they reach areas which have been without communication since the rains started at the beginning of the week.
Continuing danger
Heavy rains resumed in Nova Friburgo on Saturday afternoon, further hampering the efforts of emergency workers.
Some of the town's neighbourhoods still do not have electricity. Town officials have asked for candles to be donated so residents are not left in total darkness.
Forecasters have warned that the steady rainfall in the area will continue into next week.
The BBC's Paulo Cabral, who is in the area, says the soil on the hillsides is still extremely wet and unstable, so even a small quantity of water could be enough to cause new disasters.
The death toll has now surpassed the devastating 1967 mudslides in Caraguatatuba, Sao Paulo state, in which about 430 people died.
Politicians including President Dilma Rousseff have highlighted the practice of people illegally building homes on the sides of mountains.
She has vowed to stop such a disaster happening again, and has earmarked 780m reais ($480m; £296m) in emergency funding for the affected areas.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12200299
1. Mudslide (n) - the rapid downward movement of a large quantity of mud.
ReplyDeletee.g. The floods caused serious mudslides in Brazil.
2. Mortuary (n) / (adj) - funeral home (n), pertaining to the burial of the dead (adj)
e.g. I lived near to a mortuary in UK. (n)
e.g. A social problem in Hong Kong is the lack of mortuary space. (adj)
3. Mourning (n)/ (adj) - the period which a person grieves or formally expresses grief (over the death of someone)
e.g. The family were still mourning over the loss of their dog and decided to cancel their holiday. (adj)
4. Looting (n) - the act of stealing (looting) something during times of crisis
e.g. Looting is a major problem in the aftermath of a disaster.
5. To deploy (v) soliders - to send out soldiers on a mission
e.g. China deployed one million soldiers to protect Hong Kong.
6. To hamper (v) - to hinder / get in the way of something.
e.g. The busy schedule hampered their practices and so their final performance was not as good as hoped.
7. To vow (v) - to promise
e.g. He vowed to love her forever.
1. Which town in Brazil was worst hit by the mudslides?
ReplyDelete2. Why do people in Nova Friburgo have to bury unidentified bodies?
3. What are the three main missions of the troops in Teresopolis?
4. What happened on Saturday afternoon to make the problems worse?
5. What problem has been highlighted since the mudslides happened?
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