A landslide in central Brazil has claimed the lives of at least 40 people, with 273 still missing. The incident took place in the small mining town of Ladisão late on the eve of the 26th of July. The security and emergency services of the small town of approximately 42,000 inhabitants, reacted fast and have been clearing the area over the last few days. The number of victims is relatively large due to the fact that the landslide started around 2am and most of the people were asleep in their homes at the time. | The small town has seen quite a few such incidents since its establishment back in 1923, the last coming seven years ago, in which 13 people lost their lives. Most of the inhabitants work in the iron mines near the town. Therefore, poverty is a problem in the industrial area and many such natural disasters are made more severe by the poor maintenance of the houses. José Barrido Silva, the mayor of the town, released a statement late last night in which he extended his compassion to those who have lost family members and called on people not to lose hope for the many still unaccounted for. "Our emergency services are doing all they can to help the people affected. All we can do is pray for health of those injured and pray that the death toll will not rise any further." The past few days have been designated days of prayer and many have spent them with their families, in church or volunteering at the scene of the incident. |