Brasilia, May 31 (RHC)-- In Brazil, at least 106 people are confirmed dead, with many more missing, due to massive floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. 

Poor communities living in favelas in the city of Recife were among the most impacted, with landslides wiping away homes built on hillsides. 

Similar disasters have been recently reported in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro and other regions of Brazil as the country experiences more severe rainfall caused by the climate crisis.

The number of municipalities that had declared an emergency situation in Pernambuco rose to 24 on Tuesday, according to Folha de S Paulo.  The natural disaster has also forced nearly 6,200 people out of their homes, the newspaper said.

Scientists have said climate change drives heavier rainfall, increasing chances of flooding and landslides.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body tasked with assessing the science related to climate change, has labelled Recife as one of the most vulnerable metropolitan areas in the world.

“Low-lying coasts in several Latin American countries … and large cities (e.g., Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Recife) are among the most vulnerable to climate variability and extreme hydrometeorological events such as rain and windstorms, and sub-tropical and tropical cyclones (i.e., hurricanes) and their associated storm surges,” the IPCC said in a 2007 report (PDF).