A man swabs down the mud left by the overflowing of Das Velhas River following torrential rains, in Sabara, in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on January 27, 2020. - The death toll from days of intense storms and flooding in southeastern Brazil has risen to 44, while the number of injured stands at 12 and that of the missing was lowered from 25 to 19, local Civil Defense officials said. (Photo by DOUGLAS MAGNO / AFP) (Photo by DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP via Getty Images)
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Floods leave more than 40 people dead in Brazil
00:41 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

At least 44 people have been killed after heavy rains hit southeastern Brazil, the country’s Civil Defense force said Monday.

Around 13,000 people have been affected by the floods in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, with thousands forced out of their homes. A number of people remain missing, according to the defense force.

In this aerial image, a fire burns in a section of the Amazon rain forest on August 25, 2019 in Porto Velho, Brazil.
In this aerial image, a fire burns in a section of the Amazon rain forest on August 25, 2019 in Porto Velho, Brazil.
Victor Moriyama/Getty Images

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Authorities in Minas Gerais declared a state of emergency in 47 cities on Sunday. By Monday, the number of cities in a state of emergency had risen to more than 100, Brazil’s state-run news agency Agencia Brasil said.

While in India on Monday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced that members of the Armed Forces have been mobilized to the area to help address the emergency.

A truck rides along a flooded street after the overflowing of the Das Velhas River in Sabara, Belo Horizonte.
A truck rides along a flooded street after the overflowing of the Das Velhas River in Sabara, Belo Horizonte.
DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP/AFP via Getty Images

Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema, who flew over the region on Sunday, said the most severely affected areas were those where people lived in informal and precarious housing.

He said a long-term solution to the frequent deadly flooding Brazil faces would be a “housing plan” to address the danger faced by residents.

Brazil’s federal government has designated about $20 million to help those affected by the rains, according to Agencia Brasil.