JUIZ DE FORA, Brazil (AP) — Families of those killed in the devastating floods in southeastern Brazil began burying the dead on Wednesday, as the death toll climbed to at least 40 in the state of Minas Gerais. All the victims found so far are in the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba, about 310 kilometers (192 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro. Some 30 people are still missing and more than 3,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes as of Wednesday morning, according to Minas Gerais’s fire department. Among the dead was 11-year-old Bernardo Lopes Dutra, after the rain caused his house to collapse. “It’s a tragedy that no one was expecting,” his father, Ricardo Dutra, said at the funeral in Juiz de Fora. He described Bernardo as “a boy with a big heart who, in his own way, touched everyone around him.” Dutra’s wife and daughter were still in a hospital. The Rev. Ananias Simões, the pastor at the church that Dutra and his family regularly attended in Juiz de Fora, said that the building has been turned into a temporary shelter. “We’re doing what we can, collecting food, water. We’re in a war situation,” Simões said. Dário Tibério, a 41-year-old truck driver, decided to leave his house along with his family for fear of collapse. He found refuge at the church, while he waits on authorities to say his home is risk-free. “There’s a danger that the mud and earth can come and bury us along with…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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