Rivers Rise Again As Rain Batters Flood-hit South Brazil

A local attempts to ride a bike in a flooded street at Santos Dumont neighbourhood in Sao Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on May 12, 2024 (Credit: AFP)

River levels were rising again Sunday as strong rains lashed waterlogged southern Brazil, where flooding has killed more than 140 people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul were bracing for fresh misery from the new rains, after two weeks of downpours saw rivers burst their banks, swallowing up towns and parts of the regional capital.