(BBC) — Rescuers are searching for survivors from a Brazilian landslide that killed 10 people, including at least one child.

The incident happened in Rio de Janeiro state in the early hours of Saturday, following two days of heavy downpour.

A boulder slid down a slope and hit a group of houses in the city of Niterói, according to the local fire service.

Volunteers have joined firefighters and law enforcement, creating a bucket chain to clear mud and debris.

The Globo news network said the group was working in silence so they could hear any victims that might be under the earth.

Lighting towers were assembled so that the search could continue through Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

Local media said at least 11 people have been rescued so far, including at least two children. The majority were reportedly found with the help of sniffer dogs.

A number of homes and a pizzeria are said to have been hit by the landslide, local media reported.

Landslides and floods are prone to happen in Brazil – the most deadly was in 2011, when whole hillsides collapsed after heavy rain, killing almost 1,000 people in Rio de Janeiro state. </s> The Niteroi municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro has been hit by heavy rains for two days. The landslide occurred on Saturday leaving at least nine people dead and two more missing, according to the RCN radio broadcaster.

“Some people still remain missing, we are working to find out whether they were in their houses [when the landslide occurred],” a representative of the civil defense service of the state of Rio de Janeiro said.

According to the civil defense service, 11 people including three children have already been rescued. A total of 200 rescuers are working at the site with the search and rescue operation going to last for at least 48 hours.

READ MORE: At Least 5 Killed, Dozens Missing After Landslide in N Philippines – Reports </s> Rescuers in Brazil are searching for survivors of a landslide which killed 10 people </s> At least 10 people died and 11 others were injured Saturday in a mudslide in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, official sources said.

According to Rio firefighters, eleven people were rescued alive in Morro da Boa Esperança, in the municipality of Niteroi, though at least four others are still missing. </s> At least 10 people have been killed in Rio de Janeiro after a mudslide in the Niteroi area outside the city’s downtown on Saturday, officials said.

The mudslide was caused by heavy downpours, Rio’s civil defence department head told local media.

The Rio fire department said the dead included a three-year-old boy, two elderly women and a middle-aged man. It did not give any more information about the victims.

According to rescuers, nine homes and a local business were affected by the landslide after days of heavy rain. Eleven people have been rescued from the rubble, including a baby, while at least four people are still missing.

Pastor Pedro Paulo dos Santos called the scene in the Boa Esperanca neighbourhood “a scene of desperation, of crying”.

Emergency workers were notified of the landslide at just after 06:00 GMT.

Landslides are common in Rio de Janeiro. Many residents live in hilly areas of the state, often building homes without authorisation </s> Authorities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, say that at least 10 people have died after heavy rain triggered a landslide in a residential area.The landslide occurred on 10 November, 2018, in the Boa Esperança Community in Piratininga, Niterói, in metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. At least 6 houses were destroyed.The Fire Department reported that 11 people were rescued from the debris. It is feared the deaths could rise and rescue workers are continuing to searching for survivors.Civil defence in the city (Proteção e Defesa Civil da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro) received 135 calls for assistance between 07 and 09 November due to heavy rains in the city. </s> Three-year-old boy among the 10 confirmed victims after city of Niterói hit by landslide

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Ten people were killed and 11 injured in a mudslide near Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, Brazilian authorities have said.

Roberto Robadey, the head of Rio’s civil defence department, told the Globo TV network that the mudslide in the city of Niterói was caused by heavy downpours. He said people were killed and injured when a large boulder rolled on top of six houses in the Boa Esperança neighbourhood.

“It rained a lot over the past two days and a state of alert was declared for Niterói,” he said. “People were advised of the situation and were recommended to move to safer locations.”

But Claudio dos Santos, president of the Boa Esperança residents’ association, said several families “refused to leave”.

Rescue workers were searching for victims and survivors trapped under the debris and mud. The Rio fire department said the dead included a three-year-old boy, two elderly women and a middle-aged man. It did not give any more information about the victims.

Rosemary Caetano da Silva, a resident of Boa Esperança,said her eight-year-old granddaughter was buried underneath the rubble. She also said she managed to rescue her grandson, who was taken to a hospital. </s> Disaster officials say heavy rains have caused a landslide in southwestern Colombia in which at least 14 people have died.

Colombia's national disaster agency says in a statement that the Easter Sunday landslide in the municipality of Rosas hit at least eight homes and blocked a stretch of the Pan-American Highway.

President Ivan Duque sent a tweet expressing "solidarity with families of victims." </s> "I saw moments of desperation, with people crying," said this man. "This is the first time I have experienced something like this. I saw a group of people trying to save a person who was alive in the rubble. That’s what I saw.

According to rescuers, nine homes and a local business were affected by the landslide following days of heavy rain. Volunteers are helping to clear the mud and debris.

"I was able to rescue my grandson who is at the hospital," said another woman. "My two daughters are at the hospital and so is a couple that I know. My eight-month granddaughter is also there."

Some areas of Brazil are prone to landslides after or during heavy rainfall. Many of the poorer residents live in hilly areas that are most at risk, often in makeshift dwellings that have not been authorised.

One of the worst incidents was in 2011 when hundreds of people were killed in Rio state after several hillsides collapsed.
A landslide leaves at least 10 people dead while eleven others are injured in Niterói, Brazil.