Rescue teams in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais continued search operations for a third consecutive day, combing through mud and debris after landslides killed at least 54 people and displaced thousands.

In the city of Juiz de Fora, emergency crews are proceeding with extreme caution to avoid damaging bodies believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble.

More than 5,000 residents have fled their homes as additional rainfall is forecast, prompting warnings of further disasters in a region increasingly affected by recurrent extreme weather events.