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Mudslides in Brazil Kill 39

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From Associated Press

Mudslides triggered by torrential rains slashed through this southeastern Brazilian city Monday, burying houses and killing at least 39 people, firefighters said.

About 1,500 people were driven from their homes by the torrent of water and mud after the city of 60,000 got more than 5 inches of rain in 24 hours, the National Weather Institute said.

In the Areal neighborhood, a river breached its banks and caused a hillside to slip away in a mudslide that covered at least 10 houses.

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Mayor Fernando Jordao declared a state of public calamity as the rain continued to fall late Monday in his city, 75 miles west of Rio de Janeiro, tucked between mountains and the Atlantic.

“It’s not torrential rain like earlier, but it’s still raining,” he told local radio. “I’ve never seen anything like it in 20 years.”

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