flooding and mudslides turned the once-picturesque tourist town of Teresopolis into a wasteland . Bodies and belongings remained strewn amongst fallen boulders Monday as family members searched for loved ones in the rubble . Outside a makeshift morgue in Teresopolis -- where the government said at least 292 people had died in flooding -- a crowd of people waited for their turn to identify loved ones . Marco Antonio Siqueira Costa said the last time he saw his brother , sister-in-law and niece was a few days ago , before mud buried their house . `` I think that last meeting was God 's way of granting us a farewell , '' he said . Residents in the city donned masks and helped clean streets or deliver first aid . Others combed the city searching desperately for missing loved ones . Meanwhile , experts and officials tried to pinpoint what caused the catastrophe . `` Combine a weather event and environmental irresponsibility and the sum equals a tragedy , '' said Carlos Minc , Rio de Janeiro 's environment minister . Minc said he wants to stop construction of homes in high-risk areas , such as river banks or steep
Rio De Janeiro -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The death toll from devastating flooding in Brazil continued to climb Tuesday , surpassing 700 , the government said . A helicopter rescued 18 people from a city in Brazil 's Rio de Janeiro state after rains caused devastating flooding and mudslides in the mountainous region . Four children -- including a 30-day-old baby , were among those lifted to safety Monday . The Air Force said one of them -- 6-year-old Guilherme Carvalho -- summed up the feelings of the group with a simple exclamation : `` Relief ! '' But rescuers have not been able to reach some hard-hit areas , and many more people are feared dead . Forecasters predict rain will continue for several days in areas already submerged in water . The death toll from flooding in Rio de Janeiro state has climbed to 710 , according to government figures released Tuesday . And thousands are homeless across the state . Other states in the South American country have also seen heavy rainfall . Last week , authorities in neighboring Sao Paulo state said 24 people had been killed by flooding . In Rio de Janeiro state ,