Heavy rains battering Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul have killed 37 people, local authorities said on Friday, and the death toll is expected to rise as dozens still have not been accounted for.

The civil defense agency in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul says heavy rains have killed 37 people, with another 74 still missing

Heavy rains in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state have resulted in 31 confirmed deaths, with the toll expected to rise. More than 70 people remain missing, and approximately 17,000 have been displaced. The state's civil defense reported that nearly half of its 497 cities have been affected.