Death toll from heavy rains in Brazil rises to 171

By Muhammed Emin Canik

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - The death toll rose to 171 from heavy rains and mudslides in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, authorities said late Sunday.

A total of 856 people were housed in shelters and 126 are still reported missing.

Search and rescue efforts by volunteers and firefighters continued after the recent floods and landslides in Petropolis, north of Rio de Janeiro, local media reported.

Petropolis Municipality called on residents to stay home, due to the large-scale efforts to clean the streets.

Rio de Janeiro State Governor Claudio Castro had said that the region was exposed to its heaviest rainfall since 1932.

In just six hours, Petropolis saw the amount of rain it would expect in a month, authorities said Tuesday.

More than 900 people died in a flooding tragedy in the city in 2011 and more than 100 others went missing.