Brazilian authorities evacuated thousands of shantytown residents Sunday so their houses could be demolished after heavy rains that killed 224 people last week threatened further landslides.
Rio mayor Eduardo Paes said residents of the Morro de Urubu favelas (shantytowns) were being evacuated starting Saturday ahead of demolitions planned for Monday.
The mayor decreed late last week that residents could be forcibly removed from their neighborhoods, perched precariously on hillsides.
"There is still a risk of rains in the city. We cannot let people stay in danger zones," he said, noting that some 10,000 people live in the designated "risk areas."
Families will receive a "social pension" of $141 each month to pay for temporary housing until new houses are built, the mayor said.
On a visit to the Morro do Bumba slum in Niteroi on Sunday, Rio state Governor Sergio Cabral announced the federal government would provide a loan of some $2.3 billion to cover damages.
The slum, where dozens of houses were destroyed by landslides, was built on an old garbage dump, compacted by time. The hillside gave way after the heavy rains, burying alive some hundreds of people, according to official estimates.
Labor Minister Carlos Lupi has said a 30-year credit line of $567 million, with a three-percent interest rate, has been set up to finance construction of public housing.
The federal government meanwhile already released $113 million in aid for municipalities in Rio state affected by the floods and mudslides. - AFP
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