Nearly 400,000 displaced by Brazil floods

At least 44 people have been confirmed dead and 600 people are reported as missing in two Brazilian states, where heavy rains and mudslides caused destruction and displaced nearly 400,000 people.

Storms last week dumped a month's worth of rain on parts of neighbouring Alagoas and Pernambuco states.

Rains lifted early on Wednesday, allowing rescuers increased access to the affected areas, but showers had returned by the afternoon.

Officials said the areas prone to flooding had been evacuated to avoid more deaths.

Local TV images showed images on Wednesday of one of the hardest hit towns in the state of Alagoas, Rio Largo, where people have been struggling with the destruction from the mudslides since Saturday.

The images showed desperate residents struggling to evacuate as rivers of brown water barrelled down through the town of Branquinha, which was nearly flattened by the heavy mud flows.