The fear now is that diseases could start to spread, says the BBC's Gary Duffy in the town of Bacabal, Maranhao state.

BBC: Brazil flood victims return home

Ms Sarney, the governor of Maranhao, in Brazil's poor north-east, has surged in popularity through a propaganda campaign that highlights her charm and glamour more than her policies.

ECONOMIST: Politics in Brazil

Earlier in the week, Chagas, a bicycle mechanic, told the court in the state of Maranhao that he had strangled Jonathan - but he denied hitting him, raping him, or mutilating his body.

BBC: Chagas will stand trial for other killings early next year

IR Not only did you move Minas Gerais at least 1, 000km (620 miles) north on the map of Brazil, but you also generously gave that landlocked state a good chunk of the Atlantic coast that rightfully belongs to the state of Maranhao.

ECONOMIST: Letters