400 Dead in Brazilian Flooding and Mudslides

The death toll from Brazil's mudslides in the mountain towns north of Rio rose to 381 today, reports AP. That figure is expected to rise still more as the hunt for survivors continues.

The landslides, triggered by torrential rains, buried many victims as they slept.

The death toll ticked up overnight to 479 killed in three cities north of Rio in what is one of Brazil's deadliest natural disasters on record. Officials feared, however, that number could sharply rise, though they would not venture a guess of how many remain missing. Local reports put it in the hundreds.