The death toll from severe storms in Brazil has risen to at least 16.
In the town of Paraty, west of Rio de Janeiro, seven members of a family were killed when a landslide swept away several houses by the beach after heavy rain, the news website G1 reported on Sunday.
Eight people were killed in the coastal town of Angra dos Reis. In the town of Mesquita, north of Rio, a man suffered a fatal electrocution. At least eight other people remain missing.
The governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, convened an emergency Cabinet meeting.
Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, called on the city's residents to stay at home if possible.
The state of Rio de Janeiro has recently experienced repeated heavy rainfall, with some towns and villages seeing record amounts of rain. In late February, more than 200 people were killed in landslides and floods in the city of Petrópolis, leaving around 1,000 people homeless.
