STORY: Dramatic rescue of a family by the Brazilian fire brigade on Thursday. Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in the south of the country and triggered landslides in many places. Here in Santa Catarina state, around 880 people were evacuated from their homes after rainfall turned roads into rivers, according to civil defense officials. Many residents had to hold out and continue to wait for rescue. Local media showed helpers who had to rescue people from chest-deep water under difficult conditions. Authorities reported several fatalities and missing people on Thursday. Santa Catarina’s governor said a missing firefighter was believed to have been caught in a strong current. Search efforts are underway, but the conditions made it very difficult. At least 17 cities in Santa Catarina have declared states of emergency. In neighboring Parana state, rescue teams worked with a sniffer dog to find survivors trapped by landslides on Thursday. Dozens of people were missing and firefighters confirmed several fatalities. The north-east of Brazil is also suffering from heavy rainfall. Local media on Thursday showed houses destroyed by floods and roads washed away. Heavy flooding is common throughout Brazil at this time of year. Still, authorities in the south said rainfall was higher than forecast for December — up to six times as much in some regions.