Havana, Feb 21 (RHC) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez expressed condolences to the people and government of Brazil on Monday for the loss of human lives caused by heavy rains.

On his Twitter account, the foreign minister extended his condolences to the "relatives of the victims and those who disappeared due to the rains".

According to the Civil Defense, the volume of rainfall in the last 24 hours exceeded that expected for the whole of February in three of the four cities on the northern coast (Sao Sebastião, Ilhabela, Caraguatatuba, and Ubatuba), a region heavily hit by the rainfall.

The São Paulo government confirmed that more than 550 people had to leave their homes on the coast because of the inclement weather. According to official records, 228 people were left homeless, and 338 were displaced. (Source: Prensa Latina).