The number of deaths caused by landslides and floods triggered by this week’s rains in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais reached 72 this Sunday morning (1st). The information was updated in a press conference by the Civil Police of Minas Gerais. 
According to the corporation, 72 bodies were sent to the Legal Medical Institute (IML), seven of which were residents of Ubá and 65 were residents of Juiz de Fora.
One person remains missing in Ubá, where the search will be intensified. In Juiz de Fora, the body of the last missing person, the boy Pietro, aged 9, was found on Saturday night (28), in the Paineiras neighborhood. The searches in the city have been terminated.
Since Monday night (23), the Minas Gerais Military Fire Department alone has located 61 bodies in Juiz de Fora and seven in Ubá. The forces reported exhausting work, on steep and unstable terrain.
In a joint effort, municipal, state and federal Civil Defenses are now focusing on inspecting properties in risky locations and asking for the collaboration of the local population.
The Military Police reported that they will reinforce policing of properties affected by the rains and also those at risk, in addition to protecting families in shelters in the cities.
The Civil Police continues to work mainly on three fronts: the release of identified bodies, so that they can be preserved by families, joint efforts to issue documents to the population and the fight against scams.
The corporation reinforced that care is needed when making donations, especially via Pix, to unknown accounts. Anyone who wants to help should look for official channels and seek guidance from city halls.
*Brazil Agency
