SAO PAULO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from mudslides following unusually heavy rainfall in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, rose to 40, local authorities reported on Saturday.

According to the latest government figures, another 40 people are still missing in the towns of Guaruja, Sao Vicente, and Santos after the natural disaster, which occurred on Tuesday morning.

The Brazilian Army joined search and rescue efforts on Saturday and also arrived in the city of Guaruja to work with the local government to distribute food and aid to the more than 250 families that lost their homes in the mudslides.

In February 2020, Sao Paulo saw the area's strongest rainfall in the last 77 years, according to the Brazilian Meteorological Institute.  ■