By Staff, Agencies At least 94 people have lost their lives in mudslides and floods that tore through a mountainous region of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, local authorities said. The disaster in the city of Petropolis followed three hours of torrential rain on Tuesday, and Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro said the number of dead could rise as searchers pick through the wreckage.

Almost 400 people have been left homeless, he added.

Petropolis’s city hall said in a statement the deluge left “a high number of incidents and victims” and that rescue and recovery were continuing.

The state fire department said more than 180 soldiers had been deployed while civilians had also joined official recovery efforts.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on a trip to Russia, said on Twitter he had instructed the government to deliver immediate support to affected communities.

Southeastern Brazil has been inundated with heavy rains since the start of the year, with more than 40 deaths recorded between incidents in Minas Gerais state in early January and Sao Paulo state later the same month.

Petropolis, a German-influenced city named for a former emperor, declared three days of mourning