A landslide triggered by torrential rains killed at least eight people in Rio de Janeiro state Monday and 14 others may still be buried in the rubble, local officials told Globo television.

Colonel Sergio Simoes, the head of the local fire department, said six adults and two children perished and 14 were still missing after nine house collapsed in the northern Sapucaia munipality.

Civil Defense officials said a family of five who took refuge in a car may also have died after the vehicle was buried by the mud.

Simoes said the priority for rescue workers was "to find the bodies."

Earlier in the day, Sergio Murilo, a spokesman for the Sapucaia municipality, put the death toll at three.

He told Globo by telephone that the landslide "occurred at 3:30 am (0530 GMT) after 12 hours of nonstop rain."

The road leading to the area is completely cut off which means that rescue teams can reach the area only by helicopter.

"The mayor and an entire team went to the scene but there are huge communications and transport problems, no telephone," Murilo said.

Late Sunday, authorities began evacuating 900 people in Rio de Janeiro state's northern town of Outeiro after a local dike gave way.

Hernique Oliveira, a local civil defense official, said the town was expected to be flooded later Monday.

The evacuees were being sheltered in schools, tents or by relatives.

The incident occurred in the same area where on Thursday 4,000 people were evacuated after floodwaters fed by torrential rains caused another dike to burst.

Monday, authorities meanwhile launched an emergency plan to deal with the torrential rains hitting mainly the southeastern states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.

The rains and ensuing flooding caused 23 fatalities, including 15 in Minas Gerais.

Only a year ago, floods and landslides left more than 1,300 people dead or unaccounted for in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state.