Rio in chaos after heavy rain kills 145
Rodrigo de Almeira had dug for 15 hours through mud and debris, and he looked like it. Auburn mud covered his head, his ripped shirt, his torn jeans and his rubber sandals. When asked yesterday if he had been able to save anyone from the massive landslide in the slum where he lives, he silently shook his head. Of the 145 people confirmed dead from Rio de Janeiro's heaviest rains on record, at least 18 died in his shantytown, Pleasure Hill. "Right there at least 15 people I know died," Almeira said, staring at a massive mound of mud and debris.