Brazil flood deaths rise to 369, rescuers struggle

Rescue workers struggled on Thursday to reach areas cut off by floods and landslides that have killed at least 356 people in one of Brazil's worst natural disasters in decades.

The death toll from the devastated mountainous region near the city of Rio de Janeiro was expected to rise as rescuers reached the more remote areas. Heavy rains earlier in the week killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state, bringing the total number of deaths in southern Brazil to at least 369.

Hillsides and riverbanks in the scenic Serrana region north of Rio collapsed after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours, destroying houses and killing entire families as they slept early on Wednesday. Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said it was the worst natural disaster to hit Brazil in four decades.

Television footage showed raging flood waters and rivers of mud that laid waste to the town of Teresopolis, where at least 152 people died, and nearby Nova Friburgo, where the death toll was 168, according to local officials.

"The city is finished," Nova Friburgo resident Carlos Damasio was quoted as saying on the online edition of local newspaper O Globo.

At least 36 people also died in Petropolis, a picturesque town nestled in the mountains that served as the summer residence for Brazil's royal family in the 19th century.

Many stranded residents were forced to fend for themselves as rescue operations were hampered by destroyed roads and treacherous terrain. [...]