巴西里约热内卢发生洪灾 250人死亡

More than 250 people have died in towns near Rio de Janeiro as heavy rains continue to cause flooding and mudslides in south-eastern Brazil.

巴西东南部地区里约热内卢附近遭到持续暴雨袭击，引发的洪灾和泥石流使250多人死亡。

Overnight downpours triggered landslides¹ in the mountain town of Teresopolis, where 130 were reported to have died.

At least three firefighters were among 107 people killed in mudslides in Nova Friburgo.

Brazil has seen severe flooding this year, leaving thousands homeless.

The death toll² has been steadily³ climbing as rescuers reached remote villages in the mountains, some of which have been destroyed.

Civil defence officials in Nova Friburgo originally said seven people had died there, before increasing the figure several times.

Presidential visit

A state of emergency has been declared in Teresopolis, 100km (62 miles) north of Rio Janeiro, where more than 1,000 people have been left homeless. Another 20 people died in the nearby town of Petropolis.

With many people still reported missing it is feared the death toll could rise even further and there is concern about water-borne diseases.

More than 800 rescue workers are conducting searches in the area. The Brazilian navy has offered helicopters to fly in equipment and personnel.

Witnesses said rescue teams were using heavy machinery⁴, shovels⁵（铁铲） and bare hands to dig through tons of mud and debris⁶.

President Dilma Rousseff is due to fly over the area on Thursday to inspect the damage.

Earlier this week, torrential rains（暴雨） in neighbouring Sao Paulo state left 13 people dead and brought traffic chaos⁷ to Brazil's biggest city.

In Teresopolis, a river burst its banks, submerging（淹没） buildings, while the rainfall set off several mudslides.

"It's a huge catastrophe⁸, a major disaster," Teresopolis Mayor Jorge Mario told Globo television.

TV footage showed homes destroyed and cars submerged.

"I saw six bodies on my street," 53-year-old resident Antonio Venancio told Reuters news agency.

He said his house was inundated⁹ with（淹没，充满） mud but still standing¹⁰.

"We just don't know what to do in the face of something so horrible," he added

Civil defence officials in Teresopolis said that in 24 hours it rained 144mm - more than the usual amount for the whole of January.