More than 20 families buried by landslides in the capital of Amazonas; seven children dead

By Thais Matos – From Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – Between 2020 and 2025, at least 13 people lost their lives in landslides in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas. Among the victims were seven children aged 11 or younger. Approximately 22 families had their homes destroyed or severely compromised in high-risk areas. A survey conducted by CENARIUM on Monday, the 20th, revealed that most of the disasters occurred in the Central-Western and Eastern zones of the city.

According to a mapping by the Civil Defense of Amazonas, the Central-Western, Eastern, and Northern zones of Manaus are the most prone to landslides and flooding, particularly during the rainy season. This year, the Manaus City Hall has allocated R$173,000 for disaster mitigation efforts, while an estimated R$71 million is set to be spent on advertising, as outlined in the 2025 Annual Budget Bill (PLOA).

Speaking to the press, sociologist and professor at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Luiz Antônio Nascimento, criticized the lack of legislative initiatives to better allocate municipal resources to address these issues.

“It is essential for the city hall to have a dedicated budget to address specific problems, such as relocating families, building retaining walls, diverting water flow, and other preventive measures. To secure this budget, legislative proposals must be submitted to the City Council, based on solid technical studies conducted by competent municipal departments,” Nascimento emphasized.

Dr. Antonio Fábio Vieira, coordinator of the Laboratory for Analysis and Treatment of Sediments and Soils (Latossolo) at UFAM’s Geography Department, explained that landslides, collapses, mudslides, and similar phenomena are directly linked to terrain slope and rainfall volume. Additional factors, such as the lack of vegetation, poor drainage, garbage accumulation, and improper land use, also contribute to these events.

“In urban areas, these factors often occur simultaneously. Some regions are naturally prone to such processes, and occupation of these areas significantly increases the risk of landslides. In Brazil, particularly in our region, rainfall is the main driver of mass movements. Therefore, there is a strong connection between improper land use and precipitation, making it difficult to determine which factor carries more weight,” explained the expert.

Dr. Vieira further highlighted that urban planning in Brazil must prioritize preventing the occupation of risk-prone areas to avoid such tragedies. However, the steady growth of urban populations has driven people to occupy new areas, often without proper technical evaluation.

“As a result, areas that should remain uninhabited are used for irregular settlements. When combined with factors such as insufficient artificial drainage, steep slopes, lack of vegetation, exposed soil, and garbage, the likelihood of mass movement increases significantly,” the professor added.

Father and Daughter, 8, Die

On Sunday afternoon, the 19th, a landslide buried a family in the Redenção neighborhood, located in Manaus’ Central-Western Zone. At least four people were inside one of the affected homes when the disaster occurred.

A 16-year-old boy, identified as Mateus Oliveira Amorim, was rescued alive and transported by the Amazonas Military Fire Department (CBM-AM) to the nearest hospital for immediate care. Hours later, a woman identified as Juliana Amorim was also rescued and taken to Dr. Aristóteles Platão Bezerra de Araújo Emergency Hospital in Manaus’ Eastern Zone.

The bodies of Jeferson Pereira Araújo, 32, and Ester Amorim, 8, Juliana’s husband and daughter, were recovered late Sunday night. According to Civil Defense, the father and daughter were found embracing amid the debris. The cause of death was listed as mechanical asphyxiation due to burial, blunt force polytrauma, and crushing injuries, as recorded by the Medical Examiner’s Office (IML).

Other Occurrences

On March 24, 2023, a landslide on Rua Projetada 4 in the Petrópolis neighborhood, South Zone of Manaus, destroyed two houses after heavy rainfall hit the Amazonian capital. In addition to the residences, a wall of another property was also destroyed. On that occasion, CENARIUM reported that there were no injuries, only material losses and damages.

After the landslide, other houses were at risk of being destroyed. According to residents’ accounts at the time, in addition to the collapse, streets were flooded, houses were inundated with water, and cars were submerged.

About ten days earlier, another landslide left eight people dead and more than 70 families homeless on Rua Pingo D’Água, in the Jorge Teixeira neighborhood, East Zone of the city. Among the victims were four children. In total, 11 houses were buried.

Among the deceased were Jucicleia Barbosa de Lima, 31, and her daughter Eloisa de Lima Referino, 7. At the time, it was reported that Jucicleia and her husband, who survived the disaster, were seeking independence and privacy. The couple dreamed of owning their own home and were working to build it. The site had been mapped as a risk area by the municipal Civil Defense.

The other children who were also victims of the landslide were identified as Caleb Mendes Nunes (7 years old), Israel Jonniel Frango (7 years old), and Dainelson Rosniel Alvorada (4 years old).

Later that same month, three children and three adults were injured when an embankment collapsed onto residences on Rua Projetada, in the Armando Mendes neighborhood, East Zone of Manaus, during a heavy rainstorm. Two children were buried and rescued by neighbors.

At the time of the incident, the Civil Defense condemned at least four more residences. Two houses were completely destroyed, and two others were partially damaged.

On January 17, 2022, a 7-year-old child was buried after an embankment collapsed during a storm in the Fazendinha Community, located in the Cidade de Deus neighborhood, North Zone of Manaus. In the Nossa Senhora de Fátima 2 Community, in the same neighborhood, heavy rain left streets underwater, forcing residents to walk through floodwaters to reach their homes.

On that occasion, the Fire Department reported that four children were inside the house when the embankment collapsed. Three of them were rescued, but one girl, Raika Mirela dos Santos Pinheiro, could not escape in time.

CENARIUM spoke with Raika’s mother, Francisca dos Santos Pinheiro, who stated at the time of the incident that the girl and her siblings were about to go to the mall when it started raining. Raika went to her room, sat on the bed near the wall, and that was when the embankment gave way.

On March 23, 2020, another child fell victim to a landslide, this time on Rua Carpina, in the Redenção neighborhood, Central-West Zone of Manaus. Cauã Barbosa de Lima, 11 years old, was sleeping when the landslide occurred due to heavy rainfall that day, as reported by the D24AM portal. The location is about 600 meters from where a father and daughter were buried last Sunday.

The victim’s stepfather, Luís Carlos Ribeiro Junior, commented at the time of the incident that he and the boy’s mother were awake while the boy was asleep in another bed near the wall that was hit by the landslide. Nearby houses, located in a difficult-to-access area, were also affected by the embankment’s mud and flooded by the overflowing igarapé. One of these houses was partially submerged by the waters.

Critical Municipality

In 2024, the Special Secretariat for Articulation and Monitoring of the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic prepared a technical report showing that the capital of Amazonas is home to more than 55,000 people living in risk areas and is classified as a “critical municipality.” Across the state of Amazonas, this figure rises to 153,485 people.

Data from the Special Secretariat for Articulation and Monitoring of the Civil House (Reproduction).

Sociologist and professor at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Luiz Antônio Nascimento, argues that the city hall should have an administrative structure that combines both autonomy and the ability to listen to the population.

“It is essential for the Works and Infrastructure Secretariats to map risk areas and develop proposals to be submitted to the City Council as legislative projects. These projects would be crucial to securing resources and addressing related challenges,” said Nascimento.

The expert also highlighted the lack of action by the City Council when it comes to legislative projects from the city hall aimed at implementing public risk containment policies.

“The central issue is that much of the technical sectors of Municipal Administration are occupied by political appointees, such as councilors or allies of the mayor, who often lack the autonomy and technical qualifications necessary to carry out this essential work,” he concluded.

Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves