Death toll rises to 171 in heavy rains in Brazil; 120 people are missing

Brasilia | The death toll from heavy rains and landslides in Brazil’s Petropolis has risen to 171. The Brazilian Institute of Forensic Medicine said 27 of the victims were minors.

Authorities said 120 people were still missing. Efforts are on to trace them, officials said. Thousands of people lost their homes in the floods. They have been relocated to schools and other centers.

Heavy rains lashed the Petropolis north of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday. Twenty-five centimeters more rain fell in the mountainous region.