52 killed in Brazil flooding

Severe flooding has left a

total of 52 people dead in southeast Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, the state

civil defense agency said Tuesday.

One person remains missing, 65 have been injured, 28,893 displaced and

4,397 left homeless, the agency said in a statement.

Since torrential rains began lashing the region on Friday, authorities

have declared a state of emergency in 101 towns, several of which have been

totally devastated by floods.

Brazil’s federal government on Sunday pledged 90 million reals (21.4

million U.S. dollars) for the reconstruction effort in Minas Gerais.

In the state capital Belo Horizonte, floods, mudslides and collapsed

buildings have claimed 13 lives since Friday.