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Two buildings collapsed in a district of Rio de Janeiro held by a militia. A tragedy that has killed at least two people and highlights the conditions of housing construction in the "favelas".
With our correspondent in Sao Paulo, Martin Bernard,
The relatives of the victims gathered all day to pray in front of the rubble, hoping to find survivors. It was the locals who organized the first aid, in the middle of the rubble, even before the firefighters arrived. The streets were still covered with mud, following the torrential rains of the beginning of the week.
Militias who manage real estate
Two four- and six-story buildings simply collapsed. According to preliminary information from the authorities, these buildings built in a hurry did not have a foundation. They had been built on sloping ground in the district of Muzema, a poor district of Rio.
According to witnesses, several families had left Rocinha's big favela , controlled by drug traffickers, to settle there. But in Muzema, it's the militia that makes the law. Paramilitary groups that control trade and real estate operations. Buildings have been built illegally and the mayor has been powerless against the power of the militias.