Brazil mudslides kill more than 90, with dozens still missing

An aerial view shows a neighborhood affected by landslides in Petropolis, Brazil, on Wednesday.

Silvia Izquierdo / Silvia Izquierdo

PETROPOLIS, Brazil — Rio de Janeiro state’s government has confirmed 94 deaths from floods and mudslides that swept away homes and cars in the city of Petropolis. But even as families prepared to bury their dead, it was unclear Thursday how many bodies remained trapped in the mud.

Rubens Bomtempo, mayor of the German-influenced city nestled in the mountains, didn’t even offer an estimate for the number of people missing, with recovery efforts still ongoing.

“We don’t yet know the full scale of this,” Bomtempo said at a news conference Wednesday. “It was a hard day, a difficult day.”