Death toll 183 from Rio floods, mudslides; expected to rise further

Rio flood death toll hits 183, expected to rise

RIO DE JANEIRO — Officials say the death toll from floods and slides in Rio has hit 183 and is expected to rise as searchers continue looking for bodies.

Excavating equipment is being used in the search at the most devastated site — a slum built atop a garbage dump that was buried by a landslide.

Crews have pulled 17 bodies from the debris so far at the site in Niteroi, next to Rio. Authorities fear as many as 200 may have died there.

More rain fell early Friday in Rio, threatening more slides.

Rio firefighters said in a statement that across the metro area, 183 people have been confirmed dead so far and 161 injured.

Most of the dead were swept away in landslides that roared through slums built on steep, unstable hillsides.