Rescue workers look for victims among debris of a building collapse in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil July 7, 2023.  REUTERS/Anderson Stevens
Brazil

8 dead, 5 missing in horrific Brazil building collapse

An apartment building collapsed in northeastern Brazil on Friday, leaving at least eight people dead and five missing, according to officials.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -An apartment building collapsed in northeastern Brazil on Friday, leaving at least eight people dead and five missing, according to officials, as rescue workers scoured the rubble in a frantic search for survivors.

Two young children, including an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old, were listed among the victims.

But four others were pulled out alive, according to civil defense officials, as of 9:30 p.m. (0030 GMT) on Friday night.

The residential structure is located in Brazil's northeastern Pernambuco state, in the Janga neighborhood on the outskirts of Recife, the state's capital.

Rescue workers look for victims among debris of a building collapse in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil July 7, 2023.

Drone footage captured by Reuters showed the four-story apartment building reduced to rubble, as firefighters and rescue workers rushed around the site.

Officials said the building collapse took place early on Friday morning around 6:35 a.m., when many residents were likely still sleeping.

Rescue workers look for victims among debris of a building collapse in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil July 7, 2023.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse.

Recife, a coastal city with around 1.5 million residents, has been grappling with heavy rainfall in recent days.

Rescue workers look for victims among debris of a building collapse in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil July 7, 2023.

The city and its surrounding metro area were put under a "state of attention" declaration earlier on Friday, meant to trigger swift action from emergency workers.

Rescue workers look for victims among debris of a building collapse in Recife Pernambuco state, Brazil July 7, 2023.

Pernambuco Governor Raquel Lyra warned earlier in the day that more rain is expected, recommending that locals make sure they can access safe structures.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Brad Haynes, Mark Porter, Sandra Maler and Kim Coghill)

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