7 Apr 2010

Scores killed in Brazil flooding

6:11 pm on 7 April 2010

Rescue teams are scouring hillsides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, where mudslides and flooding caused by torrential rain have killed up to 100 people.

A state of emergency has been declared amid the heaviest rainfall in 50 years, the BBC reports.

Officials have warned the death toll may rise as many more people are missing.

At least 33 people died in hillside shanty towns in Rio de Janeiro, while 33 died in the neighbouring city of Niteroi.

With no let-up in the rain, Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has told people to leave their homes if they are at risk of flooding.