At least 15 people killed by landslides, flooding in Sao Paulo, Brazil

At least 15 people were killed on Thursday night by landslides provoked by heavy rains and floods in the urban area of Sao Paulo, the city's fire department announced on Friday.

One landslide in the town of Mairipora left four people dead and seven others injured.

In the municipality of Francisco Morato, nine people died in two separate landslides linked to the rain, while two others died, in the areas of Guarulhos and Cajamar respectively.

The storm that tore through the city on Thursday night also closed the international airport of Guarulhos for six hours.

Numerous train stations across the city were also closed, after the Tiete and Pinheiros rivers overflowed their banks.

On Friday morning, traffic in the city was snarled as authorities scrambled to fix the damage.

According to the fire department, at least 20 towns in Sao Paulo state were affected.

The state's Emergency Management Center also said on Friday that Sao Paulo had received 40 percent of its average monthly rainfall in just over a day.