- Carter handed retrospective flagrant foul after Clark clash
- Sao Paolo pride parade draws hundreds of thousands
- Thousands of Georgians gather at concert for arrested protesters
- Mexico's 'historic' election turns violent
- Champions League kings Madrid deliver on celebration promise
- ICJ is collateral damage in dysfunctional global system: experts
- Dixon triumphs in Detroit to take IndyCar series lead
- Flemish far right bets on 'historic' Belgian vote on June 9
- Dupont guides France to Sevens glory
- Thousands protest Turkish stray dog cull plan
- South Africa's Ramaphosa urges unity after historic ANC setback
- Former England rugby league great Burrow dies aged 41
- Bol opens season with victory, Duplantis close to world record
- New Fenerbahce coach Mourinho gets warm welcome in Istanbul
- 'Historic day': Women lead as Mexicans choose president
- 'We can win it': Trippier sets sights on England glory at Euros
- Israel battles Hamas as mediators urge both to accept Gaza truce plan
- Trump joins TikTok, which he once tried to ban
- Southgate encouraged by progress of injured Maguire and Shaw before Euros
- Alcaraz books Tsitsipas rematch as Swiatek races into French Open quarters
- 'Garfield' tops N. American box office, 'Furiosa' fades
- Maldives to ban Israelis to protest Gaza war
- Rescue worker dies in southern Germany flooding
- Pedersen wins Dauphine sprint
- 'Party in the USA' but Pakistan and India await for T20 co-hosts
- Rupert Murdoch marries again at age 93
- Look de Vega claims 'fantastic' French Derby honours
- Swiatek races into French Open quarters as Alcaraz finds groove
- Nvidia boss unveils AI products ahead of Taiwan expo
- French far right has big lead over Macron ally ahead of EU vote: poll
- Rescue worker dies amid flooding in southern Germany
- Gaza mothers search for milk as malnutrition hits
- S.Africa's ANC to start coalition talks after bruising vote
- N. Korea vows to stop trash balloons after sending hundreds over border
- New Fenerbahce coach Mourinho arrives in Istanbul
- Trump warns jail time could be 'breaking point' for supporters
- France arrests three after coffins left at Eiffel Tower
- Dupont guides France into Sevens final against Argentina
- Mugello master Bagnaia claims third straight Italian MotoGP
- Women lead race as Mexicans vote for new president
- Tanak wins Rally Italia after Ogier suffers late blow-out
- Djokovic 3 a.m. finish sparks health fears in tennis
- India's Modi eyes election victory, top opponent back behind bars
- French Open day 8: Who's saying what
- India's Modi eyes election victory as top opponent heads to jail
- Serbia reruns local elections in capital
- Sevilla hire Garcia Pimienta for next season
- Swiatek races into French Open quarters as Alcaraz 'feels himself' again
- Swiatek into French Open quarter-finals after 40-minute blitz
- Djokovic says 'things could be handled differently' after 3 a.m. finish
Race to find survivors after Brazil floods, landslides kill 104
Rescuers raced against the clock Thursday to find survivors among the mud and wreckage caused by devastating flash floods and landslides that killed 104 people in the picturesque Brazilian city of Petropolis.
Streets were turned into torrential rivers of mud burying houses and sweeping away cars, trees and just about everything in their path in the hillside tourist town north of Rio de Janeiro.
With dozens still reported missing and more rain looming, fears that the toll could climb sent firefighters and volunteers scrambling through the remains of houses -- many of them in impoverished hillside 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 grey 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 of 300,000 inhabitants some 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.
Civil defense authorities have warned of more heavy rains later Thursday, 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, but dozens remain missing, possibly more than 130.
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.
"Not to mention that 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," he explained.
City hall declared a "state of disaster and declared 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 the surrounding mountains.
President Jair Bolsonaro, on an official trip to Russia, said on Twitter he was keeping abreast of the "tragedy."
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/st
F.Müller--BTB