The municipality of Juiz de Fora recorded 16 deaths, while four people died in the city of Uba, about a two-hour drive away. The tragedy included a river overflowing its banks, landslides and buildings collapsing. Juiz de Fora`s mayor, Margarida Salomao, declared a state of emergency

Residents say nothing is being done to address overflowing drain in underpass that is used to travel between east and west; the underpass, sandwiched between railway tracks and a nullah, unfailingly witnesses sewage overflow whenever there are pipe-related blockage or leakage issues