巴西降下了造成該國有始以來最大的氣候慘劇的豪大雨。其東南方的塞拉納區域在長達數周的豪雨襲擊下，在12日引發了土石流造成至少527人喪生。在救援小組抵達那些被土石流截斷交通的村落了解情形後，死亡統計人數預期還會升高。
河流潰堤因而將數百戶在陡坡上的的房屋沖走。約有1萬3千人因此無家可歸。
電力與電話線也由於土石流嚴重受創，加劇主管機關評估災情的難度。
巴西總統羅賽芙(Dilma Rousseff)在國防部長若賓(Nelson Jobim)以及里約州長卡布拉爾(Sergio Cabral)的陪同下於13日飛往山區視察災情。
總統羅賽芙表示，「這些情形太令人震驚了。不但親眼看見未經開發的山岳分崩離析，同時也看見某些區域因非法佔據開發，危害了人們的健康與生命。」
總統羅賽芙表示巴西民眾認為居住在高危險區域習以為常，特別是對那些經濟窘困的民眾而言。
於1月宣誓就職的羅賽芙，曾宣示她的政府要採取「強而有力的行動」來因應這個情況。
羅賽芙於12日簽署了一份法令，授權撥款美金4億6千7百萬，用於土石流受災區初步的緊急救援，並且寄送了七噸的醫療救援物資。衛生部表示，寄送出去的救援物資已經足以治療4萬5千人達一個月之久。
當地政府表示，受災情形最嚴重的城鎮為新富麗堡（Novo Friburgo）、特勒索波里斯（Teresopolis），和貝德羅保利斯（Petropolis）。
救援團隊尚未能進入一些受災的村落，但當地預期將有更大的雨勢侵襲。
里約州長卡布拉爾表示，「這是一個戲劇性的時刻。目睹了這樣怵目驚心的景象和受災民眾的苦難，現在當地的情形仍然相當危急。」
超過800名的救援人手以及消防員在持續不斷的傾盆大雨中繼續蒐尋生還者。12日的時候，他們成功拯救了一名6個月大的嬰孩，這名嬰孩是從新富麗寶市裡一棟傾倒的房屋下拖出。
特勒索波里斯在警察局與教堂皆為無家可歸的居民設立了兩處緊急救難庇護所，以及臨時的殯葬設施，以接收因災害身亡的死者屍體。
至於豪雨發生的原因，氣象學者認為是因為不尋常的豪雨和冷鋒的交會加強了雨季降雨的強度。
At least 527 people have lost their lives as mudslides brought down by weeks of rain struck three towns in the Serrana region of southeastern Brazil on Wednesday. The death toll is expected to rise when search and rescue teams reach remote villages cut off by the slides.
Brazilian officials are calling the rains the biggest climate tragedy in the country's history. Floods and mudslides have swept away entire neighborhoods in towns north of the city of Rio de Janeiro and the downpours continue.
Rivers burst their banks and raged through residential areas built on steep hillsides, washing away hundreds of homes. Some 13,000 people have been left homeless.
Power and telephone services along with bridges and roads have been severed by the slides, making it difficult for authorities to assess the full extent of the disaster.
President Dilma Rousseff, accompanied by Defense Minister Nelson Jobim and Rio Governor Sergio Cabral, flew over the mountainous region on Thursday to view the damage.
"It's very overwhelming. The scenes are shocking," she said. "We saw areas in which mountains untouched by men dissolved. But we also saw areas in which illegal occupation caused damage to the health and lives of people," she said.
President Rousseff said housing in high risk areas is the rule in Brazil, particularly where people cannot afford to build in safer areas.
Rousseff, who was sworn in on January 1, has pledged "strong action" by her government to deal with the situation.
On Wednesday, she signed a decree authorizing US$467 million in initial emergency aid for the mudslide-affected areas and sent seven tons of medical supplies. The health ministry says enough medication has been sent to treat 45,000 people for a month.
The hardest-hit towns are Novo Friburgo, Teresopolis, and Petropolis, local officials said.
Some stricken villages have not yet been reached while more rain is expected in the coming days.
Rio Governor Sergio Cabral said, "It is in fact a very dramatic moment. The scenes are very strong. The suffering of the people is visible. The risk is very great."
More than 800 search and rescue workers and firefighters continue their search for survivors as renewed rains pour down. On Wednesday they achieved the live rescue of a six-month-old infant who they pulled from a flattened building in Novo Friburgo.
The town of Teresopolis has set up two emergency shelters for the homeless and makeshift morgue facilities to receive the dead in police stations and churches.
Meteorologists have blamed the unusual downpours on a cold front that has intensified the wet season that southeastern Brazil experiences every summer.
全文及圖片詳見：ENS報導
