Brazil: Landslides from Rain Kill 12 People

Landslides in Brazil's Minas Gerais state killed at least 12 people since the weekend, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Officials mentioned that the state had been pummelled by intense rainfall, affirming that they are monitoring dams that could burst.

Firefighters in the southeastern state found five people from the same family, two of them children, buried on a hillside near the state capital, Belo Horizonte.

In the city Sao Goncalo do Rio Abaixo, a 10-year-old girl was also killed when a wall collapsed on her bedroom while sleeping, according to a statement from the state's civil defence authority on Tuesday.

Moreover, the report said another three deaths occurred in the city of Caratinga, and in the city of Ervalia, a 20-year-old died when a landslide collapsed on a bar.

Finally, the state had reported two other deaths on Sunday.The flooding has already forced more than 17,000 people to leave their homes.

Notably, other states in Brazil have been hit by deadly rains in recent months. The state of Bahia reported 26 rain-caused deaths in November and December, and more than 100,000 have been evacuated in various states during the rainy season.