Brazil cheers as horse rescued from rooftop

CANOAS, Brazil — A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users garnered national attention after a television news helicopter filmed him stranded on a rooftop in southern Brazil, where massive floods have killed more than 113 people.

About 24 hours after he was first spotted and with people clamoring for his rescue, a team in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state successfully removed Caramelo on Thursday, providing a dose of hope to the beleaguered region.

The brown horse had been balancing on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos for days in Canoas, a city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, which is one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, much of which has been isolated by floodwaters.

"We found the animal in a debilitated state," Tiago Franco, a firefighter from Sao Paulo deployed to lead the rescue, said. "We tried to approach in a calm way."

Firefighters and veterinarians climbed onto the mostly submerged roof, sedated and immobilized the horse and then laid him on an inflatable raft — all 350 kilograms of him. The operation involved four inflatable boats and four support vessels, with firefighters, soldiers and other volunteers.

The rescue was broadcast live on television networks that filmed from their helicopters. Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent out updates to his almost 17 million followers on X as the rescue was underway. Afterward, he offered to adopt him.

"Caramelo, Brazil loves you!!! My God, what happiness," he wrote.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's wife, Janja, posted a video of herself sharing the good news with the Brazilian leader, whispering into his ear at an official event. He smiled, gave a thumbs-up and hugged her. Rio Grande do Sul's Governor Eduardo Leite also celebrated the rescue, posting on X:"All lives matter, we stand firm!"

Caramelo, about 7 years old, is recovering at a veterinary hospital affiliated with a university.

More than 230,000 people have been displaced and another 136 reported missing since heavy rains and flooding began in Rio Grande do Sul, according to state authorities.

In a world growing increasingly accustomed to wild weather swings, the last few days and weeks have seemingly taken those environmental extremes to a new level.

Amid national elections in India, voters and politicians are fainting in the heat that has hit as high as 46.3 C.

A brutal Asian heat wave has closed schools in the Philippines, killed people in Thailand and set records there and in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives and Myanmar. Record temperatures — especially at night when it just will not cool down — have hit many parts of Africa.

Agencies via Xinhua