Flooding hits Brazil carnival leaving dozens dead

At least three dozen people have died in Brazil after heavy rains led to floods and landslides in the São Paulo state.

Hundreds of residents and tourists had gathered in the state to attend Carnival celebrations over the weekend before it declared a 180-day state of calamity.

More than 23.6 inches of precipitation hit the area in one day, according to the state government, marking one of the highest volumes in a short period of time.

The cities hit hardest by the rain included Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela, and Bertioga, where entire neighbourhoods were swept with water which left only the roofs of some houses visible.

Highways and roads were cut off with fallen trees and the cities were forced to cancel the carnival celebrations to launch rescue missions.

Authorities in Brazil have so far confirmed 36 deaths, 35 of which took place in the city of São Sebastião.

A girl, seven, was also killed in neighbouring Ubatuba.

Felipe Augusto, the mayor of São Sebastião which is 120 miles north of São Paulo, described the situation as 'extremely critical', saying: "We have not yet gauged the scale of the damage. We are trying to rescue the victims."

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"We are working at nearly 50 residences that collapsed under the force of the water and there are still people buried," Augusto added.

Augusto added that 50 houses had collapsed in the city due to the landslides.

In São Paulo itself, governor Tarcisio de Freitas has requested support from the army and allocated $1.5 million for rescue operations.

Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was on holiday in Bahia state when the rain hit.

He addressed the situation on Twitter, saying: “We are going to bring together all levels of government and, with the solidarity of society, treat the wounded, look for the missing, restore highways, power connections and telecommunications in the region. My condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy."

@LulaOficial/Twitter

Da Silva assured that the federal government had mobilised the army to join the search and rescue efforts, while his office said the president will visit the affected areas today (20 February).

Rescue effects may be made more challenging, however, by continuing rain in São Paulo’s coastal area. Operations at the port of Santos were interrupted already on Saturday (18 February), when winds exceeded 34mph and waves more than a metre high struck the shore.

Hundreds of people have been displaced and evacuated by the extreme whether, with a civil defence official telling a local newspaper the country was likely to experience 'many more deaths' as a result.