In Rio de Janeiro, Record Rainstorm Kills Four and Leaves City in Havoc

02/16/2018 - 11h50

Four people were killed and wreckage was scattered throughout Rio de Janeiro after a record rainstorm, which was accompanied by strong winds, struck the city late Wednesday night (the 14th) and into Thursday morning (the 15th).

In addition to flooded streets, fallen trees, transportation setbacks and entire regions without electricity, an important construction, that was considered to be a part of the legacy that the 2016 Olympics would bring, collapsed for the second time in two years.

Following a landslide, part of the Tim Maia bicycle lane collapsed in the southern district.

Even though no one was injured, the crumbling of the bicycle lane has left many wondering whether it can still be made safe – two people were killed after the path collapsed for the first time back in 2016.

To make matters worse, the city took around two hours to close off the path, leaving citizens to take their chances.

Mayor Marcelo Crivella (PRB) was in Europe at the time of the storm. On a social network, he stated that he was "monitoring the situation".

Another authority, whose presence is particularly important at a time of crisis, was accompanying Mr. Crivella in Europe.

According to his press office, Guilherme Sangineto, the executive chief of the Rio Operations Center, left with the mayor for Europe on the 11th in order to "discover new technologies for the security sector".

The mayor was set to return to Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Mauro Pimentel/AFP
	View of a bicycle lane which collapsed after being hit by a violent storm in Sao Conrado beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil