8 January 2007Yahoo News!
The death toll from mudslides in southeast Brazil soared to 50 following torrential rain in recent days, Brazil's Civil Defense service said on Sunday, with more downpours forecast for this week.
Most of the latest deaths were on Thursday and Friday in mountainous areas of Rio de Janeiro state mainly when flimsy homes on steep slopes were swept away in a sea of mud, said a spokesman for the Civil Defense, who asked not to be named.
A state of emergency was declared in many districts.
"The search for victims continues," the spokesman said, adding that firefighters from the Civil Defense Department who were doing the rescue work said that the overall death toll had risen to around 50.
In Rio de Janeiro state 28 have died since the start of last week, according to the official news agency Agencia Brasil, adding that more than 16,000 people were made homeless.
Since the rainy season started in October around 20 have died in Minas Gerais state.
Rio de Janeiro's new state governor, Sergio Cabral Filho, flew by helicopter on Sunday with Minister of National Integration Pedro Britto to the hard-hit mountain town of Novo Friburgo for a meeting with mayors of the region.
The federal government has allocated 57 million reais ($26.5 million) to rehouse and support homeless families. Cabral said he expected aid to start arriving within 48 hours.
Although it was drier on Sunday, weather experts said that more heavy rain was forecast.
"Rain will continue, becoming heavier in the second half of the week," said Lucyara Rodrigues Pereira at private meteorologists Somar, adding that 3.9 inches to 5.1 inches (100 mm to 130 mm) of rain was forecast in the states of Rio de Janeiro and neighboring Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo.
Brazil's summer holiday season has been particularly wet this year as cold weather fronts moving northwards from the Antarctic meet warm humid air heading south from the Amazon.
