A major mudslide in the city of Niteroi, in Rio de Janeiro's metro area, killed 10 people, raising the death toll in this week's storms in the region to 154, authorities said on Thursday.

Family members of victims cry near the landslide debris in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 7, 2010. [Xinhua/AE]

The mudslide, the worst since the storms started, occurred on late Wednesday in the Morro do Bumba neighborhood. According to the authorities, some 200 people lived in the destroyed area, but it is not known how many were home when the tragedy struck. So far, the rescue teams managed to rescue 56 people from the site.

Civil Defense Subsecretary and Fire Department Commandant Pedro Machado said that the rescue teams do not expect to find anyone else alive after so many hours, as the mud takes all spaces, suffocating the victims.

According to the authorities, the Morro do Bumba region used to be a landfill, which was deactivated about two decades ago. Because of that, there is risk of contamination for the rescue teams and rescue efforts are taking a longer time.

Since Monday, at least 160 people were injured in the floods and mudslides which paralyzed Rio's metro area. Over 15,000 people had to leave their homes; out of those, at least 3,200 had no place to go and were taken to shelters at schools, churches and sports centers.