Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rainfall killed at least 18 people Tuesday in a tourist town in the hills above Rio de Janeiro, APA reports citing the G1 news portal.
"So far, 18 deaths caused by landslides and floods have been confirmed" in recent hours, the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department said in a statement.
It said more than 180 firefighters and other rescue workers were at the scene in the picturesque hill town of Petropolis where Brazil's last emperor Pedro II is buried, 68 kilometers (42 miles) north of the city of Rio.
City hall declared a "state of disaster" as images spread on social media of destroyed houses and cars swept away by floodwater.
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