Man Rescued After 16 Hours Buried Under Mud

A Brazilian man has had a remarkable escape after being buried in mudslides under his house for 16 hours.

Rescuers found 42-year-old Marcelo Fonseca under four metres of mud and rubble in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

He had been trapped under the debris for 16 hours.

A loud cheer went up from residents as rescuers finally broke through to their neighbour.

Mr Fonseca said he was not fast enough to run away from the river of mud as it descended on his house.

"When I opened the window I heard that loud thud and I only had time to run," Mr Fonseca said.

"When I ran and reached the front door, it was such a powerful thing that I only saw some pieces of the roof flying.

"My chest was being crushed by a stone and I was trapped.

"My two feet were trapped."

Bruised, scratched and with a liver infection, Mr Fonseca is now recovering in hospital.

At least 665 people are known to have died after heavy rain last week triggered mudslides and flooding in mountains north or Rio.

Many more are still missing.

Several hundred troops are helping with the rescue effort, attempting to reach areas cut off by the disaster.