As the death toll rose to at least 99 in the aftermath of a mudslide in Brazil last week, one story of survival given people hope.
The mudslide was triggered when a waste-filled dam owned by the mine company Vale burst in Brumadinho last Friday. It destroyed homes and more than 250 people are still missing.
As Jefferson Ferreira, 33, was out looking for his missing sister in the thick mud covering the town, he got word that someone had spotted a trapped woman.
He thought it might be his sister, but instead it was a 15-year-old girl. That did not stop him, however. Ferreira waded through mud get to the girl, who was reportedly stuck elbow-deep.
Ferreira stayed by the teen’s side until rescuers arrived in a helicopter, and then in a moment captured on video he helped hoist her up.
Ferreira is being hailed a hero by people in the town, but he is still hoping to find his sister, Jussara.
Brazilian officials have announced that they’ve made five arrests in connection with the dam collapse to investigate “criminal responsibility for the rupture."
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