Hundreds of people have also gone missing after the massive floods and mudslides hit southeastern Brazil.

The military has dispatched helicopters and troops to mountains north of the capital Rio de Janeiro, including the village of Brejal where 80 people have been stranded since Wednesday.

However, the rescue operations struck a snag on Sunday mainly due to continued bad weather conditions in the affected areas, fueling concerns that the death toll will continue to climb in the coming days.

"The weather conditions do not permit us to advance in the rural areas and to help people, who are isolated," Rio firefighter Colonel Pedro Machado told AFP.

"We can only make short flights. The teams on the ground are also having a lot of difficulty," he added.

Officials say it would take days before people buried under rubble and sludge could get access to heavy equipment and medical supplies because the roads leading to affected areas are destroyed.

According to Rio officials, at least 14,000 people have been made homeless.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in a statement on Sunday ordered various government agencies to respond with whatever means necessary to continue helping state and local authorities.


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