At least 270 dead in Brazil floods

Pedro Fonseca and Stuart Grudgings -

Floods and landslides devastated several mountain towns near Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, killing at least 257 people as torrents of water and mud swept through the region, burying many families as they slept.

The heavy rains also killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll in Brazil's south to at least 270.

Hillsides and river banks in the picturesque Serrana region north of Rio buckled under the equivalent of a month's rainfall in 24 hours, destroying houses and killing many people early Wednesday, rescue officials said.

Television images showed many houses buried in mud as desperate residents and rescue workers searched for survivors.

"There was no way of telling which house would fall. Rich and poor -- everything was destroyed," domestic worker Fernanda Carvalho was quoted as saying by the Globo network's website.

At least 130 people were killed in Teresopolis, about 62 miles (100 km) north of Rio, town officials said. At least 20 people were killed in the city of Petropolis, and 107 in the town of Nova Friburgo, state officials said in an e-mailed statement.

The number of victims was expected to rise as rescuers find more bodies and reach more remote areas.

"I believe the number of dead is much more than was announced so far," Rio state environment secretary Carlos Minc was quoted as saying by Globo television after he flew over the region. "Many people died while they were sleeping."

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Photo Bruno Domingos

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