The death toll from flash floods and landslides that hit the Brazilian city of Petropolis has risen to 195, local media reported on Tuesday citing the authorities, one week after torrential rains lashed the tourist town.

Since the storm, rescue workers have searched for victims, digging through the mud and wreckage left by devastating landslides that mainly hit poor hillside communities.

The number of people missing currently stands at 69, a figure that has been falling as victims' bodies are identified.

More than 850 people who lost their homes or had to evacuate are still being housed in emergency shelters. Officials are waging a massive clean-up operation to clear the mud, rubble and stranded vehicles strewn around Petropolis.