Sao Paulo - Torrential rain that killed 57 people in Brazil's impoverished north-east and made over 150,000 flee their homes in the past five days, has stopped or weakened. Officials said the situation was stabilising.
The region's worst deluge in 25 years, according to officials, submerged entire towns in water, triggered mudslides that destroyed scores of hillside shacks and forced residents to camp in makeshift shelters in schools, hospitals and gymnasiums.
In Pernambuco, 21 people had been killed mainly by mudslides and over 73,000 people had been forced to abandon their homes.
