Journal Article
The biggest landslide event in Brazil: preliminary analysis of the Rio Grande do Sul mega disaster in May 2024
Clódis de Oliveira Andrades-Filho; Lorenzo Fossa Sampaio Mexias; Renata Pacheco Quevedo; Pâmela Boelter Herrmann; Guilherme Garcia de Oliveira; Édipo Henrique Cremon; Beatriz Rosa da Cargnin; Mateus da Silva Reis; Kleverson Ribeiro Novakoski; Dafne Cavalheiro dos Santos; Claudia Robbi Sluter; Andrea Lopes Iescheck; Laurindo Antonio Guasselli; Milton Ribeiro Junior; Nelson Luis Sambaqui Gruber; Ruy Paulo Philipp; Cassiana Roberta Lizzoni Michelin; Antonio Pedro Viero; Clovis Gonzatti; Maria Luiza Correa da Câmara Rosa; Eduardo Barboza-Pinzon; Raul Gick Schumacher; Sergio Mauricio Molano Cárdenas; Victor Matheus Soares; Washington Peres Núñez; Renato Ribeiro Mendonça; Mauricio Oliveira Righi da Silva; Michelle Cardoso da Silva; Luis Antonio Bressani; Luana Daniela da Silva Peres; Lucca Belle Mevel; João Igor Dorneles; José Antônio Cacciatore; Felipe de Medeiros Jacques; Lauren da Cunha Duarte; Felipe de Carvalho Diniz; Leandro Petry; Gabriel Schwarzer; Marciano Carneiro; Bárbara Giaccom
Landslides · Vol. 22, Issue 11 · pp. 3615-3624 · 2025
Abstract
An unprecedented precipitation event in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between April and May 2024 caused widespread floods and landslides. This extreme event impacted 96% of the state’s municipalities, affecting approximately 2.4 million people and resulting in 183 deaths. This article reports the magnitude of this extreme event, focusing on the preliminary results of a comprehensive landslide inventory. Our analysis revealed that this event triggered 15,376 landslides across approximately 18,000 km 2 , with 16,862 landslide initiation points. This event represents the largest landslide occurrence ever recorded in Brazil, measured by quantity. This study provides a scientific analysis of the event’s scale, spatial distribution and the associated topographic, environmental and infrastructural conditions.