( dpa ) - Heavy rain on Brazil's usually arid Northeast has left 36 people dead and 130,000 evacuees in seven Brazilian states, media reports said Tuesday.
Civil Defence officials said the situation was most serious in the state of Paraiba, where the rain of the past two weeks left 17 people dead and some 14,000 evacuees in 58 municipalities.
Rain also caused severe damage in the states of Maranhao, Piaui, Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco.
Brazilian National Integration Minister Geddel Vieira Lima said the federal government plans to free about 360 million dollars to help affected areas, also including the states of Ceara and Bahia.