Elderly couple died victim of collapse of a three-story house in the Juca community, in the north of Rio de Janeiro. The Fire Department was called around half past midnight, in the early hours of this Monday (16).
Creuza José Correra, 77, was pulled from the rubble lifeless at 11:56 a.m., more than 11 hours after the collapse. Her ex-husband, Luiz Carlos da Silva, 79, was rescued by neighbors shortly after the collapse and taken to the Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital in Méier. He arrived at the hospital alive, but died hours later from his injuries.
Creuza was separated from her ex-husband, but due to Luiz Carlos’ health problems, she took him into the property. A fourth floor was being built there, which probably caused the entire building to collapse due to the weight of the work and the lack of reinforcement in the structure of the property.
Around 30 soldiers from six units took part in the operation, including specialists in search and rescue in collapsed structures, with the support of three sniffer dogs from the corporation. According to the Municipal Health Department (SMS), Luiz Carlos was admitted to the health unit in a stable condition, but died early in the afternoon.
Fire Department spokesman Major Fábio Contreiras said that sniffer dogs found the elderly woman’s body. “There were objects from the bedroom and kitchen at the scene. We know that when there is a collapse, there is a mix of slabs and floors, and it is normal to have objects from other places. It is quite possible, given the time, that the woman was already resting in her own room, where the closet, the bed, and a refrigerator were found,” he explained.
The Fire Department said it would contact the municipal Civil Defense to assess whether there was a risk of other properties collapsing in the community’s surroundings.
