Death toll from landslides, flooding climbs to 24 in Brazil

By TATIANA POLLASTRI
Associated Press

FRANCO DA ROCHA, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from landslides and flooding set off by heavy rains in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state has reached 24 as firefighters continue pulling bodies from the mud. Brazil’s most populous state was blasted with rain over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes. The death toll had stood at 19 late Sunday, according to a statement from the civil defense authority, and authorities added five more names to the list Monday. A coordinator for state firefighters working to retrieve bodies says the concentration of rain was much heavier than locals are used to. Southeastern Brazil has been punished with heavy rains since the start of the year, with 19 deaths recorded in Minas Gerais state earlier this month.