The death toll from heavy rain and flooding that has plagued the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia since November rose to 20, amid incessant torrents that have displaced almost 63,000 people, authorities said.

Two new fatalities were recorded in the town of Itabuna: a 21-year-old man who was swept away by currents and a 33-year-old woman was killed in a landslide, according to a local government report.

Houses were under water and streets turned into rivers in several municipalities in the south of the state, pounded since Thursday by heavy rainfall that caused dams to burst and rivers to overflow at the weekend.