Sao Paulo - At least seven people died last week when a dam broke in north-eastern Brazil after heavy rains, civil defence officials said Saturday.

Two people remain missing.

A concrete dam burst late Wednesday along a 50-metre crack, succumbing to increased water pressure after the Pirangi River feeding the dam's reservoir rose from weeks of heavy rain, said officials in the state of Piaui.

About 3,000 people were forced to leave their homes in Piaui due to the floods. Eighty people were reported injured in the flood.

North-eastern Brazil has been hit by heavy rains for several weeks, with the weather blamed for a death toll of 50 people since early April. (dpa)