Devastating flooding displaces thousands in Brazil

Devastation from flooding and landslides continued in Brazil's Minas Gerais on Wednesday after the state was pummeled by heavy rainfall to start the year.

Landslips have killed at least 24 people in recent days, while the state's civil defense authority said 145 municipalities were under a state of emergency due to the flooding. At least 17,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

Parts of Minas Gerais have accumulated more than 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain in the first 10 days of 2022, according to Brazil's meteorology institute.

That's less than half of the rain recorded during the whole of January 2020, which was a record for a month.