Death toll due to heavy rain in Brazil reaches 56

Brasilia: The death toll due to the heavy rain in Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco has increased to 56, disaster management authorities said.

Fifty-six people are still missing and nearly 4,000 have been evacuated due to the floods and landslides caused by the heavy rains, Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying on Sunday.

Recife City, the capital of Pernambuco state, is the hardest hit with 30 deaths.

President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted that he will visit Recife on Monday to assess the situation.

Heavy downpour has also lashed the neighbouring state of Alagoas, where two people died and around 7,000 were displaced due to the flooding.

In nine municipalities of Pernambuco, local authorities have declared a state of emergency.

In February this year, 185 people were killed due to record rainfall and subsequent landslides and floods in the city of Petropolis in Rio de Janeiro state.