Deaths in Brazil dam break

At least four people have been killed and 2,500 others made homeless after heavy rains caused a dam to burst in northeast Brazil.Residents took refuge on rooftops and in high trees when Cocal, a city of about 25,000 in the Piaui state, was flooded on Thursday.More than 100 people were missing and rescue personnel, using helicopters and rescue boats, were trying to find survivors.The waters in the Pirangi river rose suddenly, up to 20 metres in some parts, according to officials."It was a real tsunami," Wellington Dias, the state governor, said after he visited the area.Globo TV, a local television channel, said the rupture sent 50bn litres of water pouring out of the reservoir, causing flooding that stretched 100km downriver from Cocal.Flooding and mudslides in northeast Brazil over the past few weeks have left 57 people dead.The Brazilian government said weeks of rain and heavy flooding had displaced 400,000 people, about 95,000 of them in Piaui state.