By RIA Novosti,
Rio De Janeiro : At least 65 people have died and another 44,000 have been left homeless in southern Brazil after more than two months of heavy rains, the country’s Civil Defense Service said on Tuesday.
Eight towns in the state of Santa Catarina have been blocked off due to flooded roads. Many of those killed were crushed by landslides, some of them inside their homes, the service said.
Over 50 cm (20 inches) of rain has fallen in the region in the past few days, four times more than the average for this time of year.
Over 160,000 people have been left without electricity. Natural gas supplies were cut off in the south of the state after a pipeline was damaged by rains. In total, 1.5 million are said to have been affected by the floods and landslides.
A state of emergency has been declared in the region, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged urgent federal assistance.
Brazilian meteorologists have warned that rains are likely to continue this week. Schools in the state have been closed.