Heavy rains in Brazil kill 35

RIO DE JANEIRO: At least 35 people died amid heavy rainfall in northeastern Brazil on Friday and Saturday, as downpours lashed two major cities on the Atlantic coast, in what is the South American nation's fourth major flooding event in five months.

In the state of Pernambuco, at least 33 people had died as of Saturday afternoon, as rains provoked landslides that wiped away hillside urban neighborhoods, according to the state's official Twitter account. Another 765 people were forced to leave their homes, at least temporarily, according to the state government.

Authorities in the neighboring state of Alagoas had registered two deaths, according to Brazil's federal emergency service.

In late December and early January, dozens were killed and tens of thousands displaced when rains hammered Bahia state, also located in northeastern Brazil. At least 18 died in flooding in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo later in January. In February, torrential downpours in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro state killed over 230.