Heavy rains leave 237 dead in southeast Brazil

At least 237 people have died in the heavy rains, flooding and mudslides that are affecting the southeastern state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian authorities said Wednesday.

In the mountainous municipality of Teresopolis, which has been the most heavily affected, the death toll stands at 122, while in the neighboring town of Nova Friburgo 97 people have died, according to the latest report by firefighters.

State Environment Secretary Carlos Mink called it "the worst catastrophe in the history of Teresopolis," a city founded in 1891, and Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek echoed that sentiment.

Meanwhile, in the municipality of Petropolis, also in the mountainous region, 18 people have lost their lives, according to a government communique.

Emergency management officials released initial calculations that speak of at least 50 people who have disappeared, but they admitted that both that figure and the number of confirmed deaths could rise because emergency crews are moving into more critically affected regions.

The rescue teams are continuing to work intensely in the affected zones, many of which have been completely covered by the water and mud.

The life-saving activities are proving very difficult because of the complex topography in the areas deluged by the storm.

The downpours began on Tuesday night and have particularly affected the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, where at least four cities have been put on alert due to landslides that have buried an unknown number of houses.

The storms across Rio de Janeiro followed heavy rains Tuesday in the neighboring state of Sao Paulo, where at least 13 people died in flooding and mudslides.

Officials are particularly concerned about the situation in Franco da Rocha, a suburb of Sao Paulo city whose urban zone remains completely flooded.

Authorities in both affected states have begun to prepare a number of shipments of humanitarian aid that will be distributed in the regions where the situation is most critical once weather conditions permit.

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