Heavy rain causes deadly weekend in northeast Brazil

An additional 56 people are missing and at least 25 are injured, Brazil’s Minister of Regional Development Daniel Ferreira said on Sunday.

More than 3,900 people have also lost their homes due to devastating downpours, Ferreira also said.

Some of the deaths were caused by landslides in the greater Recife area, in Pernambuco state, according to the local civil defense.

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Brazil’s northeast has been suffering from exceptionally high volumes of rain, officials say. Some areas have registered more rain in the past 24 hours than the total volume expected for the month of May.

Pernambuco’s civil defense forces have urged residents living in areas at high risk of landslides to seek shelter elsewhere until the rain decreases. In the city of Recife, schools opened to shelter displaced families.

Extreme rain has battered Brazil repeatedly in recent months. In December, downpours caused two dams to burst in nearby Bahia state, killing dozens and submerging entire streets.

Reporting contributed by journalist Marcia Reverdosa in Sao Paulo.

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