- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
Race to find survivors after killer Brazil floods
Rescuers raced against the clock Thursday to find survivors among the mud and wreckage caused by devastating flash floods and landslides that killed 110 people in the picturesque Brazilian city of Petropolis.
Streets were turned into torrential rivers of mud burying houses and sweeping away cars and trees in their path in the hillside tourist town north of Rio de Janeiro.
With dozens still reported missing and more rain looming, the first funerals took place of identified victims, who included a 22-year-old woman and her two children, aged five and two.
Amid fears that the toll could climb, firefighters and volunteers scrambled through the remains of houses -- many of them impoverished slums.
As rescue helicopters flew overhead, residents shared stories about loved ones or neighbors swept away.
"Unfortunately, it is going to be difficult to find survivors," Luciano Goncalves, a 26-year-old volunteer, told AFP, completely covered in mud.
"Given the situation, it is practically impossible. But we must do our utmost, to be able to return the bodies to the families. We have to be very careful because there are still areas at risk" of fresh landslides, he added.
Sansao de Santo Domingo, a military policeman aiding the effort, managed to save a small gray dog from the rubble of a house.
"He was scared, he tried to bite me when I arrived. He was defending his territory, because he knew that his masters had been buried below, in the mud," he said.
- 'Scene from a war' -
Some 500 firefighters resumed the search early Thursday after breaking for a few hours due to the instability of the water-soaked soil in the city some 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.
Civil defense authorities have warned of more heavy rains, and the government has said there is a high risk of new landslides.
This was the latest in a series of deadly storms -- which experts say are made worse by climate change -- to hit Brazil in the past three months.
About two dozen people have been rescued alive at the scene, but more than 130 are missing, according to police.
About 700 people have been moved to shelters, mainly in schools, officials said.
Charities have called for donations of mattresses, food, water, clothing and face masks.
Governor Claudio Castro of Rio de Janeiro state said the streets of Petropolis resembled "a scene from a war," adding these were the heaviest rains to hit the region since 1932.
The "historic tragedy" was made worse, Castro added, by "deficits" in urban planning and housing infrastructure.
The effects of uncontrolled urban expansion, said meteorologist Estael Sias, hit the poor hardest when disaster strikes.
"Those who live in these regions at risk are the most vulnerable," he said.
"We are experiencing an economic crisis as a result of the pandemic that made everything worse because the number of people who left areas that were not at risk to settle in areas of risk undoubtedly increased."
City hall declared a state of disaster and three days of mourning.
- 'Tragedy' -
Petropolis -- the 19th-century summer capital of the Brazilian empire -- is a popular destination for tourists fleeing the summer heat of Rio.
It is known for its leafy streets, stately homes, imperial palace -- today a museum -- and the natural beauty of surrounding mountains.
President Jair Bolsonaro, on an official trip to Russia and Hungary, would travel to Petropolis on his return Friday to inspect the damage, the government announced.
Experts say rainy season downpours are being augmented by La Nina -- the cyclical cooling of the Pacific Ocean -- and by climate change.
Last month, torrential downpours triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 28 people in southeastern Brazil, mainly in Sao Paulo state.
There have also been heavy rains in the northeastern state of Bahia, where 24 people died in December.
Petropolis and the surrounding region were previously hit by severe storms in January 2011, when more than 900 people died in flooding and landslides.
jhb-pt-lg-pt/mm/mlr/bgs
M.Gameiro--PC