In addition, 175 people have been injured in the days-long rains and more than 100 people are missing, civil defense agencies said late Sunday.
An estimated 850,000 people from 340 towns in the Southern Rio Grande state were affected by the flooding. A state of emergency has been declared in most of these districts.
In the regional capital, Porto Alegre, the water level at the confluence of several rivers reached 5.28 meters, the highest level since 1941, local media reported.
In just 10 days, this state near the Argentina-Uruguay border has received as much rain as it normally receives in three months.
According to meteorologists, this phenomenon is also a result of climate change.
Many residents are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being victimized by robbers and thieves.
“The past few days have been really scary. I didn’t sleep all night. Strangers were walking around the house,” a 27-year-old local resident told the UOL news portal.
Brazilian news portal G1 reported that the Air Force is using drones to find people cut off from the outside world.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made his second visit to the flood-hit area on Sunday. He spoke of one of the worst floods in the country’s history and promised more aid.
