MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

At least 14 killed as building collapses in Recife

Building collapses are common occurrences in poor neighborhoods of Brazil, where illegal construction is rampant

At least 14 people were killed when an apartment building in the Brazilian city of Recife, capital of the State of Pernambuco, collapsed. The structure had been closed in 2010 by the authorities but it had been occupied irregularly, according to Civil Defense

Firefighters Saturday updated the death toll from 11 to 14, after finding the body of a woman and two children under the rubble from the building that went down on Friday in the municipality of Paulista, in the Recife metropolitan region.

In April, another building in similar conditions collapsed in the city of Olinda, Pernambuco, leaving six people dead. These events in Brazil usually occur in poor neighborhoods, where illegal construction is rampant and the population has less access to decent housing. In 2020, two irregularly constructed buildings in a favela in Rio de Janeiro (southeast) collapsed after several days of heavy rains, leaving 24 people dead. Heavy rains also pose a risk due to frequent landslides.

In February, 65 people were killed by landslides caused by record rainfall in Sao Sebastiao, a tourist resort about 200 km from the city of Sao Paulo (southeast).