56 Dead, 6,800 Left Homeless in Flooding in Brazil

At least 56 people have died and one is missing in heavy rains that have doused Brazil over the past month, leaving some 6,803 people homeless, public safety officials said.

Jan 27, 2004

BRASILIA (AFP) - At least 56 people have died and one is missing in heavy rains that have doused Brazil over the past month, leaving some 6,803 people homeless, public safety officials said.

People in 190 cities and towns throughout Brazil were affected by the heavy rains, officials said, with the northeastern states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceara and Sergipe and the southeastern states of Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo among the hardest hit.

The government last week ordered some 32 million reals (11 million dollars) in emergency aid to be freed up to help victims.

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