Death toll from heavy rains near Rio de Janeiro rises to 94.
Some 24 people were rescued alive. Aerial photograph showing the damage caused by heavy rains affecting the city of Petrópolis (Brazil). Photo: EFE At least 94 people were killed in the heaviest rains in 90 years in Brazil's former imperial city of Petrópolis, where a race against time was raging Wednesday to find any survivors under the mud and debris. As of Wednesday night, "94 deaths have been confirmed," reported the Civil Defense of the state of Rio de Janeiro in its latest report. A figure that continues to grow with the passing of the hours, after the storm that on Tuesday afternoon caused almost 300 landslides in the mountain city, located 68 km north of Rio. “It was the worst rain since 1932,” declared the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro. "It's a theater of war," he added. Several roads in Petrópolis were turned into fast-flowing rivers that swept everything away as they passed and left a trail of houses reduced to rubble and vehicles...