Emergency crews used bulldozers and other heavy equipment on Monday to search for at least four people still missing in Madeira after flash floods and rockslides killed 42 people on the Portuguese vacation island.

The last young backpackers flew away from Machu Picchu as clouds closed in again on Friday, leaving Peru to grapple with flood damage that will close its top tourist site for weeks, or even months.

Muslim pilgrims holding white umbrellas against the blazing sun clambered up a rocky desert hill for prayers Thursday during the annual hajj, a day after torrential rains that killed at least 77 people.

Britain's flood-hit northwest braced on Saturday for more devastation after river levels rose again and forecasters warned of more rain, following unprecedented torrential deluges.

Military helicopters winched dozens of people to safety and emergency workers in inflatable boats rescued scores more as floods on Friday swamped northern England's picturesque Lake District. One police officer was missing and feared dead after a bridge was swept away.