September 2013, Vol. 68 No. 9
Newsline
Deadly water main explosion in Brazil kills toddler
A toddler died and at least 16 people were injured when a water main exploded over a Rio de Janeiro neighborhood in Brazil, flooding the area and destroying cars and property.
A huge torrent of water was blasted up to 65 feet into the air over the Campo Grande area, towards the west of the city, after the pipeline ruptured on July 30, The Associated Press reported.
Homes and cars were destroyed by the force of the blast and then houses were quickly swamped with up to six feet of water as the liquid continued to spew out at a rapid rate .
Three-year-old, Isabela Severo dos Santos, was taken to hospital but did not survive after swallowing large amounts of water. Brazilian media reported she died of cardiac arrest.
The burst pipeline, operated by State Company for Water and Wastewater (Cedae), was quickly shut down but large volumes of water were still leaking and continued to flood the neighborhood. The cause of the accident was unknown at the time of this release.
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