Rescue workers in Brazil braced for more rain today as they struggled to reach areas cut off by massive floods and landslides that look certain to have killed more than 500 people.
In one of the country's worst natural disasters, rivers of mud tore through towns in the mountainous Serrana region outside Rio de Janeiro, levelling houses, throwing cars atop buildings and stranding thousands of residents.
The death toll was 495 people, according to official tallies late yesterday, but rescuers had yet to reach some of the worst-hit parts of Teresopolis, including one neighbourhood where around 150 houses were believed to have been destroyed. More than 13,500 people have been left homeless.
The flooding likely caused billions of dollars in damage and has presented President Dilma Rousseff with her first crisis only two weeks after she took office.
Beyond the loss of life and property, the damage from the rains could further boost food prices in parts of southeastern Brazil, a major concern for the government.
The Serrana region is an important producer of fruit and vegetables for the Rio area but the floods have not affected Brazil's main crops such as soy, sugar cane, oranges and coffee.
Rio, famed for its beaches and Carnival, will co-host the World Cup in 2014 and host the Olympics in 2016.
In Teresopolis, bodies had to be taken to a nearby church after the town's morgue filled up. Officials showed pictures of the corpses to residents to identify family members.
In Nova Friburgo, a rural town first settled by Swiss immigrants, at least 214 people died. In Petropolis, once the summer residence for Brazil's royal family, 40 people were killed, while at least 18 died in Sumidoro.
Rousseff, who has earmarked 780 million reais (€334 million) in emergency aid, briefly visited the region to meet local officials. The government said it was sending 210 members of the National Public Security Force to help identify bodies.
Hillsides and riverbanks in the area, about 100km north of Rio, collapsed after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours from Tuesday night.
Reuters