17 die in Brazil landslides

At least 17 people have died in landslides triggered by heavy rains in a mountainous area of Brazil, authorities said yesterday. Dozens more have been left homeless since Sunday in and around Petropolis, a former imperial capital located 68kms  north of Rio de Janeiro, civil defence officials said. Two rescue workers were among the dead, according to a local official. Rio state governor Sergio Cabral called on residents to leave high risk areas and to seek refuge in shelters provided by city authorities amid worsening downpours.