At least 39 dead in worst flooding in southern Brazil in 80 years

Residents and their pets evacuate a flooded area after heavy rain in Sao Sebastiao do Cai, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil/Photo: AP

SAO PAULO: Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with 68 more missing, the state civil defense agency, as record floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes.