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The death toll from the rains that hit southeastern Brazil last week rose to 65, local media reported, citing authorities.
A Sao Paulo government statement said late Sunday that the bodies of 21 men, 17 women and 19 children had already been identified.
Heavy rains have triggered landslides and flooding in coastal cities of Brazil’s richest state over the past week, but the city of Sao Sebastiao has been hardest hit.
Sao Sebastiao is a tourist beach destination about 200 kilometers from the city of Sao Paulo, and it received more rain in two days than it regularly falls in a month.
The state government reported in a statement that rainfall in the region exceeded 60 centimeters in one day, one of the highest amounts ever recorded in Brazil in such a short period.
Rescue workers had intensified their search for victims throughout the week, while many victims were housed in temporary shelters in shelters, churches, schools and gyms.
Television images showed houses completely flooded and residents using small boats to transport objects and people to higher positions.
Some experts attributed the tragedy to a combination of the effects of climate change with uncontrolled urbanization.
The coast of the state of Sao Paulo is a frequent Carnival destination for wealthy tourists who prefer to stay away from the massive street parties of Brazil’s big cities.
However, almost all of those affected were local residents, many of them from low-income communities that have now lost everything.
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