At least 7 killed, 1 missing after heavy rains in Brazil's Sao Paulo

SAO PAULO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people have been killed and another remains missing in Brazil's Sao Paulo state after an extratropical cyclone triggered days of heavy rain and flooding, the country's Civil Defense said Wednesday.

The latest incident occurred in the metropolitan area of Guarulhos, where a driver went missing after his vehicle was swept into a stream during a storm on Tuesday. Firefighters resumed search efforts on Wednesday.

Civil Defense said the heavy rains since Dec. 10 have caused landslides, wall collapses, fallen trees, lightning strikes and people being carried away by floodwaters.

Two of the most recent deaths were reported Tuesday on the Atlantic island of Ilhabela, where one man drowned after being carried away by floodwaters, and another was killed when a wall collapsed.

Fatalities have been confirmed in several locations, including Sao Paulo city, Campos do Jordao, Guarulhos, Juquitiba, Bauru and Ilhabela, highlighting the widespread impact of the weather.

In the state's northern coast, rainfall equivalent to three weeks fell in just three hours, according to Civil Defense. ■