Photos of starving Brazilians digging through animal corpses for food leftovers reveal the country’s escalating hunger issue.

According to The Guardian, the photographs were shot by photojournalist Domingos Peixoto and depict destitute individuals in Rio de Janeiro sifting through animal corpses in the back of a truck that delivers unwanted leftovers from supermarkets. 

The COVID-19 epidemic, which killed over half a million Brazilians, has devastated South America’s largest country.

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Since the outbreak of the epidemic, an estimated 19 million Brazilians have gone hungry, and many have fallen into poverty as a result of increased food costs and unemployment. 

(Image source: https://twitter.com/o_jurunense)

Since the commencement of the Covid pandemic, which has killed 600,000 people, an estimated 19 million Brazilians have gone hungry.

The misery is considerably worse elsewhere in the region.

Last Monday, a major Venezuelan university reported that over 77 per cent of the country’s inhabitants were living in extreme poverty, blaming catastrophic gasoline shortages and Covid for a 10% increase in the past year. 

(Image source: https://twitter.com/o_jurunense)

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been under fire for his management of the epidemic, which some claim has exacerbated the country’s economic problems.

Thousands of Brazilians marched to the streets on Saturday to demand his impeachment.

A Senate probe investigating Bolsonaro’s handling of the epidemic is underway, and the Supreme Court has authorised a criminal investigation. 

(With inputs from agencies)