Death toll from rain, flooding in southern Brazil rises to 13

Capela de Santana, Brazil: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the country s south Thursday, where the death toll from floods caused...

Capela de Santana, Brazil: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the country's south Thursday, where the death toll from floods caused by torrential rains has risen to 13. 

As rescuers continued the search for some 21 people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads, authorities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have reported a state of emergency.

Floods and landslides caused by a week of storms hit nearly 150 municipalities in the state, also injuring at least a dozen people and displacing close to 10,000.

Governor Eduardo Leite said the state was dealing with "the worst disaster in (its) history."

Lula, who has blamed the torrent on climate change, arrived in the town of Santa Maria in the morning with a delegation of ministers, and held a working meeting with Leite and other officials to coordinate joint rescue efforts, the government said.