Xi sends condolences as downpours kill 48 in Brazil

President Xi Jinping sent a letter of sympathy to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday after torrential rains in the South American country caused a wave of flash floods and landslides, leaving dozens of people dead.

In the letter, Xi said he was shocked to learn that severe rain-triggered disasters in the southern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo have led to major casualties and losses of properties.

The Chinese leader extended deep condolences over the diseased and expressed sincere sympathies to their families and the disaster-hit residents.

He also wished the injured individuals a speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, the death toll from heavy rains in Sao Paulo rose to 48 on Wednesday, officials said, with more precipitation expected.

Officially, 38 people are reported as missing, a figure that will likely push the final number of deaths closer to 70, said Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas.

Massive rainfall over the weekend has caused landslides and flooding in coastal towns in the southeast of the country. Almost 2,500 people are still displaced or homeless, officials said, adding that rescue work was ongoing.

The city of Sao Sebastiao bore the brunt of the human toll, with 47 of the reported deaths.

Lula flew over the city on Monday, pledging to rebuild the town of nearly 91,000 people by constructing new houses in safer places.

More rain is forecast for the city in the coming days. The Sao Sebastiao government said that by Friday another 200 millimeters of rain is expected to hit the region and warned of further risks of landslides.

Since the weekend, the coastal area of the country's wealthiest state was hit by more than 600 mm of rain, which the government said was the highest cumulative figure in Brazil's history.

Agencies via Xinhua contributed to this story.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn