Brazil flood death toll hits 97

The death toll from massive flooding in southern Brazil reached 97 Thursday with about 20 people still missing, officials said.

After flying over some of the flooded areas, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the disaster one of the worst in the country's history, CNN said.

I've never seen anything like this, he said.

The rains, which started five days ago, have hit the state of Santa Catarina the hardest, affecting a reported 1.5 million people -- one-fourth of the population. More than 54,000 residents are reported homeless, civil defense officials said.

Weather forecasters said the rain should be lessening in Santa Catarina until the weekend but issued an alert for other Brazilian states such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Espirito Santo.

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