Rescue workers in Rio de Janerio are in a race against time to find people buried by fresh mudslides after yet more pounding rain.

Brazil’s heaviest rainfall in decades has triggered some 200 mudslides claiming the lives of more than 150 people with thousands left homeless.

Authorities say the number of victims is expected to rise as emergency services sift through the thick mud that has swamped the fragile shanty towns.

Its estimated that a further 10,000 homes are at risk of collapse and the national government has sent in teams of specialists to help in the recovery operation.

The latest devastation hit Niteroi, across the bay from Rio, late on Wednesday.

Forecasters predict that the rain will ease off in the next hours but the city is bracing itself for further downpours over the weekend.

Rio is in chaos, power cables are down and most roads impassable.

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