Residents stand on the porch of their home at the edge of landslide damage in the Caleme neighbourhood of Teresopolis, Brazil, 14 January 2011. Felipe Dana / AP

Residents stand on the porch of their home at the edge of landslide damage in the Caleme neighbourhood of Teresopolis, Brazil. Felipe Dana / AP

Deadly flooding and mudslides in Brazil A church is surrounded by debris and floodwaters after a landslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state. Felipe Dana / AP

SAO PAULO, Brazil— Reuters
Published Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011 9:14AM EST Brazilian officials say the floods and mudslides that hit Rio de Janeiro state last week were this country’s deadliest natural disaster since 1900. Civil defence authorities said that the death toll from slides triggered by deluges in mountain towns just north of Rio stood at 787 as of Saturday morning. According to the Brussels-based International Disaster Database, the previous highest death toll in a natural disaster in Brazil was registered in 1967 when floods killed 785 in and around the city of Rio de Janeiro. The organization’s website lists Brazil’s top 10 natural disasters between 1900 and 2011. On Friday, The Rio de Janeiro public prosecutor’s office said about 400 people are listed as missing following the latest disaster.

Mudslides were Brazil’s deadliest natural disaster in a century A handout picture provided by Radiobras shows a general view of a zone affected by rains in Santa Rita, near Teresopolis, Brazil, 21 January 2011. EPA / VALTER CAMPANATO HO

A handout picture provided by Radiobras shows a general view of a zone affected by rains in Santa Rita, near Teresopolis, Brazil, 21 January 2011. EPA / VALTER CAMPANATO HO

Brazil Rain Pictures