Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ( CNN ) -- The death toll from flooding and mudslides in Brazil continued to climb Thursday , with official reports of at least 181 fatalities . Thousands of people have been left homeless , said the government-run Agencia Brasil news service . The Rio de Janeiro mayor 's office placed that figure at 5,000 . At least 161 people have been injured , the Rio de Janeiro state government said Thursday on its Web site . A record 11.3 inches ( 287 millimeters ) of rain fell in Rio within 24 hours Tuesday , Mayor Eduardo Paes said , according to the news service . The downpour continued Wednesday . iReport : Share your photos , video , stories with CNN . More than 30 homes were destroyed in a mudslide Wednesday in metropolitan Rio , Agencia Brasil said . About 200 people could be buried or trapped in the mud , emergency officials said . The cities of Niteroi and Sao Goncalo are among the hardest hit , with more than 80 dead and dozens missing , the news service said . CNN affiliate TV Record showed firefighters , military personnel and other rescuers using heavy machinery to dig for buried residents . Brazil 's minister of cities , Marcio Fortes , said that housing and sanitation problems are not new for Rio . His department , which works directly with cities on urban development projects , said that before this week 's flooding , the government already had set aside some $ 800 million to cities to help deal with flood waters and poor infrastructure . Now , President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made available another $ 11 billion for drainage infrastructure across Brazil , Fortes said . As for the project that sits before them , Fortes estimated that about 4,000 homes can be rebuilt , together with better roads , schools and health centers . These would provide a shift from the current structures in the slums of Rio , where housing is often improvised . `` You ca n't correct the past , but you can fix the future , '' Fortes said . CNN 's Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report .
Death toll climbs to thousands ; thousands left homeless . Mayor : Record-breaking 288 millimeters ( 11.3 inches ) of rain fell in Brazil Tuesday . thousands could be trapped following another mudslide , Brazilian media report .