Marcelo Fonseca, a 42 year old Brazilian man was pulled out of thick mud by rescuers digging with their hands through layers of debris caused by a landslide, product of the torrential rains pouring down Teresopolis, and other towns north of Rio de Janeiro.
Fonseca said he wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way of the avalanche of mud and water.
“When I opened the window I only heard that loud thud and I only had time to run. When I ran and reached the front door it was such a powerful thing, that I only saw some pieces of the roof flying and some pieces of wood,” he told the newspaper.
“My chest was being crushed by a stone and I was trapped; my two feet were trapped,” he added.
Fonseca was lucky to have walked out of his brush with death with just a few bruises and a mild liver infection; he’s recovering in the hospital and doctors said he is expected to make a full recovery.
At least 655 people have died, victims to the inclement weather this season in Brazil.
