Severe floods in Brazil's southeast have killed at least 35 people and forced 37,000 to abandon their homes since late December.

Weeks of heavy rain have prompted officials to declare a state of emergency in nearly 60 towns in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.

A powerful 40-minute storm in the city of Sao Joao da Boa Vista in Sao Paulo state left hundreds of houses submerged in muddy water. Images from TV Globo showed a woman swimming in her living room trying to collect her most valuable belongings.

"Here, the water is reaching my neck, over there it's even worse," said Adriana, standing in the middle of of her flooded living room.

In the nearby city of Jundiai four people of the same family, including two children, died when a mudslide destroyed their hillside home.

Many families had to rush out of their houses after a river rose quickly, bringing torrents of muddy water into the city's streets. Most people lost all their belongings.

According to the civil defence agency, the worst affected state is Minas Gerais, where 16 have died and 14,400 people were left homeless since the start of the rainy season in late November.

Weather forecasts predicted more torrential rains for the upcoming days in the region.