SAO PAULO, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The death toll from heavy rains in southern Brazil rose to 36, local authorities said on Wednesday, as a tropical cyclone battered and soaked the region, flooding homes and swelling rivers.
Video obtained by Reuters showed rising water flooding streets and rivers and submerging houses in the small town of Mucum, in Rio Grande do Sul state.
Dominguez Fontana, a 74-year-old sawmill worker who escaped the Mucum flooding, said nothing could be salvaged.
The Rio Grande do Sul floods are just the latest recent natural disasters in Brazil.
More than 50 people were killed in Sao Paulo state this year after massive downpours caused landslides and flooding.
Persons:
Dominguez Fontana, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Eduardo Leite, Lula, Geraldo Alckmin, Eduardo Simoes, Gabriel Araujo, Kylie Madry, William Maclean, David Gregorio Our
Organizations:
SAO PAULO, Reuters, Roca, Thomson
Locations:
Brazil, Mucum, Rio Grande do Sul, Sao Paulo, Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Santa Catarina