The death toll from the devastating rain and landslides in south-eastern Brazil has risen to 40.
Authorities in the state of Sao Paulo said on Monday four more people had been killed in addition to 36 tallied a day earlier, with more casualties expected as three dozen people remain missing.
It is the latest in a series of disasters to strike Brazil, where shoddy construction, often on hillsides, has had tragic consequences during the country's rainy season.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged to address the issue while visiting Sao Sebastiao, saying homes should no longer be built in areas at risk of landslides and major floods.
"Sometimes nature takes us by surprise, but sometimes we also tempt nature," Mr Lula said.
"I think it's important that neither happen.
"I express my solidarity with the people of Sao Sebastiao and I hope this never happens again."
The rains came amid Brazil's Carnival holiday period, when thousands flock to the region's beaches, likely aggravating the human toll of the natural disaster.
According to the Sao Paulo state government, Sao Sebastiao was the epicentre of flooding with 39 of the deaths reported there.
Heavy rainfall also affected nearby towns such as Ilhabela, Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba.
More than 2,000 people were forced from their homes, the government said, after more than 600 millimetres of rain hit the coast.
Others remained stranded with roads blocked by landslides.
Ligia Carla Samia, who was rescued by helicopter, said it had been raining since Friday.
"The landslide reached one of the walls of our building; my mother's and brother's vehicles were damaged," she said
"It was like an avalanche. Thank God we survived."
Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas said it was difficult to determine what was left of the Rio-Santos highway.
"We even raise the possibility that it was dragged, that the highway no longer exists," he said.
He declared three days of mourning in the state and a 180-day state of calamity for six towns after the disaster.
Reuters
