31 people killed in Brazil flooding
Floods and mudslides have killed at least 31 people in north-eastern Brazil, officials have said.
Two states have been hit by heavy rain, causing rivers to burst their banks, and mudslides have hit areas where shacks are built on hillsides.
Civil defence officials in Alagoas state said 19 people have died, and dozens of others are missing. At least 80,000 people have been driven from their homes by the floods.
In Pernambuco state, officials say 12 people have died and 42,000 people are homeless.
The number of known deaths could rise because many areas have been cut off due to cuts in power and phone service.
In May 2009, flooding in the same area killed at least 44 people and displaced 380,000.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html(Brazil factbook)