3 killed, 2000 displaced after heavy rainfall in Rio de Janeiro

Heavy rainfall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killed at least three people and displaced more than 2,000 more, officials said. The rain began Wednesday and persisted overnight, the Los Angeles Times reported. In parts of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the amount of rain that fell exceeded what was expected for the entire month of December. Many commuters were forced to seek safety on the top of buses when streets turned into rivers, the Times said, and homes were looted after the residents were forced to leave. Officials said 415 homes were destroyed in the Baixada Fluminense region, the area that was most seriously affected. "There's nothing I can do. I'll just have to buy everything all over again," Jorge Luiz Costa, 54, who lost most of the contents of his home, said. The death toll could increase as the search goes on, authorities said.