Storm in Brazil killed at least 21 and displaced more than 1,600 – NBC 6 South Florida

At least 21 people died in southern Brazil after a violent storm caused flooding in several cities, authorities said on Tuesday.

Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite said the death toll was the highest in the state from a climate event. He said about 60 cities were hit by the storm, which was classified as an extratropical cyclone.

Leite said 15 of the deaths occurred at a home in Mucum, a town of about 50,000 people.

The Rio Grande do Sul state government said it had made 1,650 people homeless since Monday night.

Television footage showed families on the roofs of their homes begging for help when rivers burst their banks.

Mucum City Hall recommended residents to stock up on supplies to cover their needs for the next 72 hours.

The governor said one of the dead was a woman who was swept away during a rescue attempt.

“I regret the death of a woman attempting a rescue across the Taquari River,” Leite said on his social media channels. “The wire broke, she and a rescuer fell. Unfortunately, the woman did not survive and the rescuer is seriously injured.”

Rio Grande do Sul was hit by another extratropical cyclone in June, killing 16 and wreaking havoc in 40 towns, many around the state capital, Porto Alegre.