JNN 13 Jan 2011 : The number of people killed in Brazil’s mudslides has increased to 370 as hillside neighborhoods collapsed in the mountainous towns north of capital Rio de Janeiro.

Dozens of people remain missing and thousands are homeless as mud and rocks swept through entire villages flooding homes and cars.

Teresopolis, a town 40 miles north of Rio, has seen at least 152 deaths in 24 hours while 168 people have died in the town of Nova Friburgo and dozens more in Petropolis, according to local officials.

The area north of Rio de Janeiro has seen a month’s rain in just over 24 hours.

The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers uncover more bodies in several towns swamped in dirt and debris.

Earlier in the week, 13 people were killed by flooding caused by heavy tropical rains in Sao Paolo.

Newly elected President Dilma Rousseff has authorized USD 418 million in aid to fund relief and rescue efforts.

She plans to fly over the area today to assess the damage, according to her office.