186K Homeless in Deadly Brazil Floods

Plus: Residents warned of landmines

(NEWSER) - The death toll from South Korea's massive landslides has reached 67, with at least 10 still missing, Reuters reports, and this terrifying video shows some of the destruction. In the wake of the flash flooding and mudslides, caused by the heaviest rains in a century, residents were warned to be wary of rogue explosives: Officials say about 10 landmines that were buried at a military base in Seoul during the Korean War were swept away and have not yet been recovered. Meanwhile, storms also hit North Korea; state media have not reported any damage, but experts fear landslides may have struck the country and its unstable hillsides, too. More crazy pictures here . More»

State of emergency has left 5K homeless

(NEWSER) - Hugo Chavez is letting dozens of people made homeless by Venezuelan flooding crash at his palace, and he told them yesterday—as the death toll hit 25—that they can stay there until the government finds them new homes. Visiting a slum, the AP reports that Chavez urged other residents to evacuate: “They told me that you did not want to leave until Chavez came. Well, here I am.” Chavez also said he’d call for military buildings to be evacuated for refugees’ use. More»

Entire villages washed away in country's northeast

(NEWSER) - Dozens of people are dead and at least 600 are missing after heavy rains triggered floods and mudslides in northeastern Brazil. The floods have washed away entire villages in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco, leaving around 100,000 people homeless, the BBC reports. "We are praying for the missing to be found alive," the governor of Alagoas said. "But we are very worried because bodies are starting to turn up on beaches and on riverbanks." More»

Slide hits shantytown perilously built on top of landfill

(AP) - At least 200 people, buried under the latest landslide to hit a slum in Rio de Janeiro's metropolitan area, are feared dead, authorities said today. If confirmed, the deaths would raise the toll sharply from the 153 people already known to have died this week in slides triggered by record rainfall in Brazil. "In our experience, it's an instant death," says a civil defense official. More»

(NEWSER) - Widespread flooding in northern Brazil has killed at least 49 people and forced nearly 408,000 from their homes, reports the BBC. More rain is expected in the area for another two weeks. The government has spent $435 million to help flood victims, but food supplies continue to dwindle. Flooding has wiped out many crops, and schools has been shut in 12 states. Experts suspect that global warming may be causing the severe droughts and floods that have ravaged the area in recent years. More»