Apartment Building Collapse Kills 14 in Brazil

Reuters

12:32 JST, July 9, 2023

BRASILIA (Reuters) – A residential building collapse in northeastern Brazil killed 14 people, civil defense officials said on Saturday, as the last missing people were found lifeless.

The collapse occurred on Friday in the Janga neighborhood on the outskirts of Recife, the capital of the northeastern state of Pernambuco.

The apartment building collapsed during heavy rains that struck the region while many residents were still asleep.

According to a statement from civil defense, three people managed to survive the collapse, whose cause remains unclear.

On Friday, officials had already reported eight deaths.

Governor Raquel Lyra of Pernambuco expressed her condolences on Twitter, pledging that the state government would spare no effort in assisting families in need.

Recife, a coastal city with around 1.5 million residents, has been grappling with heavy rainfall in recent days.