Firefighters find body of missing man in rubble of Sao Paulo building

BRASILIA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Firefighters have located the first body of one of those missing after the collapse of a building in Sao Paulo on Tuesday after a fire tore through it.

On Friday, the Sao Paulo firefighters brigade announced they had found the remains of a tattooed man, who was wearing a security belt used by firefighters as they tried to rescue him.

He was named as Ricardo, a man who was being rescued as the Wilton Paes building collapsed. His body was found on Thursday by a Belgian shepherd dog.

Excavators were removing much of the rubble. This allowed rescue workers to reach the "inhabitable zone" amidst the debris.

The town hall of Sao Paulo announced that 49 people who lived inside the building remain missing.

The building had been occupied by a number of poor families, including a number of foreigners. The Sao Paulo town hall said 372 people belonging to 146 families had been living there.

The fire also spread to two nearby buildings while the collapse also led to the partial destruction of a church.

Since the disaster, the city authorities have announced a revision of around 70 buildings, similarly occupied by poor families, to check their current status. Enditem