Heavy rainfall leaves 27 dead in southeastern Brazil
Heavy rainfall in southeastern Brazil has left 27 people dead and 11,000 others homeless since Tuesday, according to figures released by local Civil Defense authorities on Friday.

Rio de Janeiro's mountain region has suffered the most casualties - 22 people have died due to landslides in four towns of Nova Friburgo, Sumidouro, Petropolis and Teresopolis.

The number of casualties could increase as there was a risk of further landslides, said a Civil Defense officer.

Rescuers were still under alert and looking for more missing people, he said.

In Minas Gerais state, a bus crash on Friday killed three people, including a nine-year-old and 11-year-old. Police officers said it was raining heavily when the accident occurred.

In Sao Paulo state, continuous rain has struck 42 towns and left 55 people homeless.

Weather forecasters said another cold front was coming from south of the country, increasing the possibility of further disasters in southeastern Brazil.