At least 36 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil’s São Paulo state, officials say.
Dozens of people are missing and while the number of dead is expected to rise, rescue workers say they hope to pull some of those trapped in flooded homes out of the mud alive.
Video showed neighbourhoods under water, inundated motorways and debris left after houses were swept away.
Carnival celebrations have been cancelled in a number of cities.
In the coastal town of São Sebastião, 627mm of rain fell in 24 hours, twice the expected amount for the month.
The federal government ordered the mobilisation of several ministries to assist victims, restore infrastructure and start reconstruction work.
Operations at the port of Santos, South America’s largest port, were meanwhile interrupted amid gusts of wind exceeding 55 kilometres per hour (34 miles per hour) and waves of more than one metre high on Saturday, according to a local news outlet.
