Thousands displaced and 14 still missing after relentless rains batter Juiz de Fora and Uba.

Fresh downpours have brought renewed flooding, landslides and fear to southeastern Brazil, where rescuers were still searching for 14 people reported missing on Thursday following a storm that has claimed 54 lives.

Since late Monday, more than 5,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes after landslides buried dozens of people and floods swept through the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba.

On Wednesday night, residents received yet another alert on their cellphones as heavy rain continued to lash the region.

In the Tres Moinhos neighborhood, three houses were buried by landslides in the early hours of Thursday after their residents had been evacuated, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.

Some residents who had fled their homes returned to retrieve furniture, appliances, mattresses and even pets left behind.

The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, on Wednesday denied accusations that his government had cut investment in disaster protection.

His remarks came after a report on Jornal Nacional stated that the state government had reduced spending on disaster prevention by 95 percent over the past three years.

This tragedy is the latest in a string of extreme weather events in Brazil, including floods, fires and droughts, many of which scientists link to global warming.

The mayor of Juiz de Fora, Margarida Salomao, said the municipality had experienced its wettest February on record.

In 2024, unprecedented flooding in southern Brazil killed more than 200 people and affected two million, marking one of the worst natural disasters in the country’s history.