Six people drowned in an underground parking garage in Rio de Janeiro and at least two more died in other parts of the city when it was hit by torrential rain, firefighters said on Saturday, according to Reuters. The heavy tropical downpour on Friday night lasted for two hours, shutting both airports in Brazil's second-biggest city and two main thoroughfares. Water flooded homes in some parts of western Rio, rising as high as five feet (1.5 meters). In the Penha shopping mall in northern Rio, streams of water completely flooded the lowest garage level trapping and killing six people, a fire brigade spokesman said. A woman died under the rubble of a house that collapsed in northern Rio and a man was electrocuted on the outskirts as the rain provoked a shirt circuit. Torrential rains are common for this time of the year in Brazil.
