Death toll in landslide in Olinda rises to 5; searches for victims continue

The death toll from the collapse of a three-story building in the neighborhood of Jardim Atlântico, in Olinda, metropolitan area of ​​Recife, on Thursday night (27) rises to five.

Five other people were pulled out of the rubble alive, two with serious injuries. According to the Pernambuco Military Fire Department, the search for the last missing victim continues on the night of this Friday, 28.

Around 7:40 am this Friday (28), a 53-year-old man was rescued. The corporation was triggered at 22:08 on Thursday, arriving at the scene 20 minutes later.

The causes of the tragedy are still being investigated. Due to the accident, properties located in the vicinity of the Leme Building, which is located at Rua Olegário Mariano, 990, were also interdicted.

The building, which has 32 apartments, had already been vacated and condemned for housing by the Civil Defense of the municipality since 2001. At the time of the incident, however, at least 16 people and three dogs were said to be in the place.

Among the fatal victims, who did not have their names revealed, are a 32-year-old man and a 13-year-old teenager, who lived with their parents, who were not in the building at the time of the collapse.

The building is located in an area where dozens of other buildings have already been vacated by the Civil Defense of Olinda due to structural problems.

Among the wounded rescued are two men and three women. The two men, one aged 45 and the other aged 53, identified only as Ebenezer, are hospitalized at the Hospital da Restauração, in the central area of ​​Recife.

Ebenzer was married to Maria José, one of the fatal victims. He was found by firefighters under the rubble around 8:30 am, after spending more than ten hours buried.

Two women, both aged 25, were referred to the PE-15 UPA, in Olinda, and have already been discharged. A third is hospitalized at Hospital Miguel Arraes, in Paulista, and her health condition remains stable, without seriousness.

Around 7:50 pm, two women were found dead at the scene. A final female victim remains missing. Firefighters continued to search for her under the rubble on Friday night.

Neighbors of the building spoke about the fright and fear. Mechanic Saulo Farias, 54, was one of the first people to arrive at the scene, around 10:10 pm. “I was about to go to bed when I heard a very loud noise and ran into the street. When I saw it, the building was falling. There was a lot of dust and soon after the smoke started. We called the fire department and a lot of people got together to try to help because we could hear people asking for help. It was very scary,” he stated.

“We know that there are other buildings that could collapse at any time because they are in trouble and had already been condemned and vacated. The problem is that the prefecture of Olinda prohibits and leaves. Then the families that have nowhere else to go, come back.”

In a note, the City Hall of Olinda confirmed that the building was banned more than 20 years ago by the Civil Defense, after a joint inspection by the State, Municipality and Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE).

According to Colonel of the Fire Department Waldyr Oliveira, current Secretary of Civil Defense for Olinda, the City Hall did not know that the building had been reoccupied. However, reports from residents and neighbors point out that the reoccupation is old and that a good part of the apartments were rented to families other than the original owners.

The region where the building is located has a history of buildings with structural problems and collapses. There are dozens of properties with cracks and other apparent damage and many, like Leme, have already been condemned by specialists, but continue to house entire families.

“Next, the agencies demanded that the property’s insurer demolish it. The same insurance company is also responsible for building surveillance and should prohibit occupation,” she said. The city hall claims that it acts with the Justice, in order to oblige the insurers to carry out the demolitions.

“Dozens of lawsuits were filed by the Municipal Attorney. As an example, there are the cases of the Verbena and JK buildings, where Caixa Seguradora, responsible for Guarding and Conservation of the buildings, was forced to demolish them, relocating any occupants”, said the municipality.

Currently, however, according to the city hall, there are cases in which the Justice has already determined the demolition of the property, after the municipal action, but the insurers refuse to comply with the court order, even though a daily fine is charged in case of non-compliance. . “The Municipality of Olinda is in solidarity with the families of the victims and will continue to work so that the condemned buildings in the municipality are completely demolished by the insurers responsible.”

The insurer of the building that partially collapsed is Caixa Seguradora. Sought, the company has not yet manifested itself. The space remains open for manifestation.

Victims rescued alive

• Female victim, 25 years old (UPA Olinda);
• Female victim, 25 years old (UPA Olinda);
• Female victim, 30 years old (Miguel Arraes Hospital);
• Male victim, 45 years old (Hospital da Restauração);
• Male victim, 53 years old (Hospital da Restauração);
• Five people succumbed to their injuries:
• Rodolfo Henrique Pereira da Silva, 31 years old;
• Heverton Benedito dos Santos, 13 years old;
• Maria José Barbosa da Silva, 52 years old;
• Female victim, age unknown;
• Female victim, age unknown.

“Firefighters are at the scene carrying out new searches in the rubble. We are on site with a total of 15 vehicles, including rescue, search and rescue, firefighting and operational command”, said the corporation.

On social media, Lupécio Carlos do Nascimento (Solidariedade), mayor of Olinda, lamented the tragedy. “We are mobilized to provide all assistance to the victims,” he said. In the post, the name Lene Building appears, but the city hall of Olinda said it is called Leme.

The governor of Pernambuco, Raquel Lyra (PSDB), through social networks, also said that the government will provide all the necessary support to the municipality. “The firefighters are already working on the occurrence and helping possible victims. We will keep an eye on the work, ”she posted.

At the end of the afternoon, the Public Ministry of Pernambuco (MPPE) issued a note expressing solidarity with the victims and making itself available for “the necessary referrals”. The MPPE also says that it has acted in the aftermath of the tragedy, in order to verify the facts and “hold those involved accountable” and in relation to emergency measures for survivors.