Death toll from floods in southern Brazil rises to 56

(Patria) - The death toll from floods and landslides caused by storms in southern Brazil has risen to 56, while 67 people are reported missing, the state civil defense agency announced.

The rapid rise in river levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul has increased pressure on dams and threatened the metropolis of Porto Alegre, one of the largest cities in southern Brazil.

Local authorities have initiated the evacuation of some flooded settlements, in some cases using helicopters to rescue people from rooftops.

Very heavy rains are expected to continue falling on Sunday, the Civil Defense announced.

Climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino told AFP that the devastating storms are the result of a "catastrophic cocktail" of global warming and the El Nino weather phenomenon.

South America's largest country has recently experienced a series of extreme weather events, including a cyclone in September that claimed at least 31 lives.