Heavy rain kills 56 people in northeastern Brazil

On Sunday, Brazilian Regional Development Minister Daniel Ferreira said another 56 people were missing and at least 25 were injured.

Ferreira added that more than 3,900 people lost their homes due to the torrential rains.

The Civil Defense in Pernambuco said some of the deaths were caused by landslides in the greater Recife area, and it urged residents living in high-risk areas to seek shelter elsewhere.

And in the city of Recife itself, schools were opened to house displaced families.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the Brazilian army would help those affected, and that he would personally travel to Recife on Monday to assess the situation.

“Our government has made available from the first moment all its means to help those affected, including the armed forces,” he wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

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Northeast Brazil is experiencing exceptionally high amounts of rain, officials said. Some areas have recorded more rain in the past 24 hours than the total expected volume for the month of May.

Heavy rain has hit Brazil frequently in recent months. In December, it rains Caused two dams to explode in neighboring Bahia stateDozens were killed and entire streets flooded.

Reporting was contributed by Marcelo Medeiros and Michele Velez from Atlanta, and Marcia Riverdosa from São Paulo.