The death toll from landslides and floods that occurred Tuesday in the city of Petropolis in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state has risen to 152, with 165 people still unaccounted for as of Saturday night, local media Globo reported.

Several hills collapsed during the heavy rains, carrying away homes and vehicles as residents continue to dig through the mud to search for their missing loved ones.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the region on Friday and described what he saw as a "war scene."

In the heart of the disaster zone, rescue workers occasionally blew loud whistles to call for silence and listen for signs of life.

But authorities say there is little hope of finding survivors at this point.

A Globo's report said the rescue operations are understaffed and lack adequate equipment. Only 110 firefighters are searching on-site now, wildly short of the about 500 personnel the local government has previously announced.

The 555 firefighters only joined the search in Petropolis on Wednesday, it said.

According to the local authorities, only 24 people have been rescued alive so far. But that came mostly in the early hours after the tragedy.

(With input from agencies)