Brazil's President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has cancelled his planned trip to Canada for this week's G20 summit due to deadly floods in the northeast, a presidential spokesman said yesterday.

"The President on Thursday flew over the areas affected by the rains and floods and saw that the drama is much greater than initially believed, so he has decided to stay in Brasilia to closely follow the relief operations," the spokesman said.

At least 51 people were killed in the floods in the northeastern states of Alagoas and Pernambuco that left towns and villages in ruins and an estimated 200,000 people homeless. Mr Lula had been scheduled to leave for Canada in the afternoon after watching the World Cup match between Brazil and Portugal on television.

Instead he met with Foreign Minister Celso Amorim at the President's official residence, the Alvorada Palace. At the end of the meeting Mr Amorim told reporters that Mr Lula was "deeply impressed" by the extent of the flood damages.

Brazil, a regional power often grouped with Russia, India and China, will be represented at the summit by Economy Minister Guido Mantega, who was travelling to Canada, officials said.