The death toll caused by the storms since Jan. 11 in southeastern Brazil now stands at 772, the Brazilian Health and Civil Defense Ministry said Thursday.


Aerial view shows the flooded Sao Geraldo neighborhood in Pouso Alegre, south of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Jan. 20, 2011. (Xinhua/Agencia Estado)
Among all the casualties in the State of Rio de Janeiro, 357 deaths are in its northern municipality Nova Friburgo, 323 in Teresopolis, 64 in Petropolis, 21 in Sumidouro, six in Sao Jose do Vale do Rio Preto and one more in Bom Jardim.


The storms also have left 126 people missing, the Program of Victim Identification (PIV) said.


The situation in Rio's mountainous region, however, has improved as the rain has decreased, which allows transit by land or air to all the places that were isolated.


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet