The mayor's office in Juiz de Fora municipality said on social media that people were missing -- without specifying how many -- after flooding, landslides and the overflowing of a river.

Local media reported there were 45 missing people, with the Minas Gerais fire department telling AFP they confirmed the information "in principle" but that it was too early to provide an exact figure.

Juiz de Fora's mayor, Margarida Salomao, declared a state of emergency over the "intense and persistent" rainfall.

According to official figures, this month has been the rainiest February on record in Juiz de Fora, a city of about 540,000 people.

Some neighborhoods are "isolated," with at least 20 landslides, Salomao said, calling the situation "extreme."