The latest update from the Associate Press says almost 40 people have been killed and hundreds are missing after floods and mudslides hit northeastern Brazil. Torrents of water washed away more than 40,000 houses in 22 towns across the state of Alagoas, Al Jazeera quoted local officials as saying. Bridges, streets and rail lines were also damaged.
The country's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called a crisis meeting for Tuesday after more than 14 inches of rain fell in some regions over three days, according to Al Jazeera. About 100,000 people have been left homeless, the network's website said.
Officials in hard-hit Alagoas reportedly said at least 500 people vanished after the Mundau River burst its banks in the town of Uniao dos Palmares. "We are praying for the missing to be found alive. But we are very worried because bodies are starting to turn up on beaches and on riverbanks," state governor Teotonio Vilela Filho told the network.
The number of known deaths could rise because many areas have been cut off due to cuts in power and phone service, according to The Associated Press.
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