Floods, landslides hit Rio

This item appears on page 16 of the June 2010 issue.

Torrential rains in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro region caused flooding and mudslides that killed at least 230 people, April 5-7. In the city of Niteroi, across the bay from Rio, 60 were killed in a single mudslide when the Morro Bumba slum, built on a giant, unstable garbage dump, was swept down the mountain. 

Throughout the region, about 14,000 people were displaced by the flooding. Thousands more may be evicted from unsafe houses.