Americas News
Rain wreaks havoc in south-eastern Brazil
Jan 3, 2012, 17:40 GMT
Rio de Janeiro - Rain continued to pour down Tuesday over the south-eastern Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, where it caused floods and mudslides that affected thousands.
In Minas Gerais, Brazil's third-richest state, the authorities found the body of a taxi driver who was caught in a mudslide while driving on a road in the tourist town of Ouro Preto. Since the rainy season started in October, four people have been killed in the state, where 52 towns have decreed a state of emergency.
Another man was killed in Laje de Muriae, in the mountain region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, where thousands were evacuated from their homes.
The area, where 900 people died and thousands more lost property last year in a rain-induced disaster, now has an early warning system to alert against possible mudslides. The towns of Petropolis, Teresopolis and Nova Friburgo, which were badly hit by last year's mudslides and flooding, are on the alert this year too.
In the city of Rio de Janeiro itself, rain caused chaos at Santos Dumont airport, leading to the cancellation of one third of the flights scheduled for Monday.
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