The death toll from Brazil’s floods stands at 143 as the rain continues to pour

The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state has risen to 143 from 136 a day earlier, the local government body for civil protection said on Sunday, as rain continues to pour across the state.

Another 125 people are missing in the state, where rising river levels are reported. Weather service Metsul called the situation ‘extremely worrying’.

On Saturday night, the government announced about 12.1 billion reais ($2.34 billion) in emergency spending to tackle the crisis that has displaced more than 538,000 people in the state, out of a population of about 10.9 million.