Lula attends emergency meeting after heavy rains in southern Brazil

Brazilian President Lula visited the country's south on Thursday, where the death toll from floods caused by torrential rains in southern Brazil has risen to 29 dead and 60 missing.

Authorities in Rio Grande do Sul have declared a state of emergency as rescuers continue to search for dozens of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads. Storm damage has affected nearly 150 municipalities in the state, also injuring at least a dozen people and displacing close to 10,000.