In Brazil, emergency workers in the south-east areas are struggling to reach areas cut off by floods and landslides that have claimed more than 500 lives. Rescuers are accessing many of the worst-hit areas on foot as traditional transport routes are completely cut off. An estimated 5,000 people have been left homeless and the death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are being recovered from the debris. The mountainous regions are the worst hit as rains have caused mudslides down the slopes.