OVER 500 ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE died in severe flooding and mudslides in Brazil which are the country’s worst natural disaster for decades, according to the BBC.

The towns Nova Friburgo, Teresopolis and Petropolis have been worst affected and further mudslides are threatened as heavy rain continues to fall in the mountain region north of Rio de Janeiro.

The destruction of infrastructure by flooding and landslides has hampered rescue efforts, and certain parts of the region remain inaccessible to rescue crews.

Visiting some of the affected areas yesterday, President Dilma Rousseff described the disaster as an act of God, but also criticised illegal construction for causing “damage to the health and lives of people”.

Grieving relatives held funerals for the victims all day yesterday in Teresopolis, where almost 200 new graves had been dug this week, the Washington Post and the AP report. More funerals are due to be held tomorrow and a further 300 graves will be dug on Saturday as rescuers expect to uncover more dead.

In this Al Jazeera report, residents affected by the flooding survey the damage and search for survivors (warning: contains images some may find disturbing) :