Death toll from devastating cyclone in Brazil reaches 13

Brasilia, June 19 : The death toll from the extra-tropical cyclone that lashed southern Brazil over the weekend has increased to 13, with four people still missing, said the countrys civil defence agency.

The devastation caused by the storms and floods that began on June 16, have affected more than 40 towns in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, which borders neighbouring Uruguay and Argentina, reports Xinhua news agency.

The search operation for those missing is still going on, the civil defence agency confirmed.More than half a million people were left without electricity over the weekend and 4,913 people were displaced, it added.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged federal aid to the affected area.#toll #cyclone #Brazil.