Floods and mudslides kill 15 people in and around Sao Paulo

(Reuters) - At least 15 people have died in flooding and mudslides in and around Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, officials said on Friday.

There were also reports of more people missing following the heavy rains that began late Thursday and continued Friday, but firefighters could not confirm exactly how many.

Sao Paulo firefighters said they had recovered the bodies of 15 people, all but two having been killed in mudslides in the outskirts of the Sao Paulo metropolitan area.

Traffic in Brazil's economic hub was thrown into chaos, while the downpour closed the international airport for six hours overnight.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks; editing by Grant McCool)

More from AOL.com:
Chunks of Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier break off
Ecaudor's Tungurahua volcano erupts in fiery explosions
Iceberg that sank Titanic estimated to be 100,000 years old