Heavy rains in Brazil cause floods, kill at least 10

At least 10 people were killed and many housed damaged in Rio de Janeiro due to heavy rains on Tuesday. Torrents of water gushed down streets, sweeping up cars and uprooting trees after rains that began around rush hour Monday evening. Schools were closed and people urged to avoid non-essential traffic until further notice.

Rio de Janeiro: Heavy rains killed at least 10 people and left a trail of destruction in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, raising questions about the city's preparedness to deal with recurring extreme weather.

Torrents of water gushed down streets, sweeping up cars and uprooting trees after rains that began around rush hour Monday evening.

Rains slowly weakened by Tuesday evening, but Mayor Marcelo Crivella said the city was still in "crisis" mode, the highest of three levels.

Schools were closed and people urged to avoid non-essential traffic until further notice.

City officials said 6 inches (152 millimetres) of rain fell in just four hours Monday night, more than the average for the whole month of April.

The botanical garden neighbourhood, a tourist destination, was one of the most badly hit areas, receiving 9 inches (231 millimetres) in a 24-hour period.

Local television stations showed firefighters in that neighbourhood wading through knee-deep water pulling a small boatload of children evacuated from a schoolbus on a flooded street.

Hillside slums are particularly vulnerable to mudslides and city officials said more than 100 communities in Rio have been identified as having "high geological risks."

Rio's fire department said that by Tuesday evening it had registered 10 deaths from the latest storm, including two adults and a child who were buried in a car by a mudslide.