Brasilia, Feb 22 (IANS): The death toll from the heavy rains that caused landslides and floods last week in the municipality of Petropolis in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro has increased to 176, the local fire department announced.
According to the department's report, more than 100 people were still missing in the affected area of Petropolis, located 68 km north of the city of Rio de Janeiro, reports Xinhua news agency.
Rescue teams were working day and night in search of people buried in the mud, with 24 people rescued so far.
The most intense rainfall in the area was recorded on February 15, and since then it has rained heavily several times, the National Institute of Meteorology reported.
The current number of recorded fatalities is the highest in the history of the city, exceeding the catastrophic heavy rains in 1988, when 171 people died, according to the Brazilian Atlas of Natural Disasters.