The mountain towns of Nova Friburgo and Teresópolis were struck the most, with reported death toll of already 168 and 158 respectively. Tens of people are still being missed. A state of emergency has been declared with more than 800 rescue workers currently searching under the debris. Wednesday, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff agreed to support emergency funding with 480 million dollars.

The BBC reports that ‘civil defence officials in Teresópolis said that the city was soaked with 144 mm of rain in 24 hours - more than the usual amount for the whole of January.’ More information and an extensive photo report can be found on their website.