Fierce storm in southern Brazil kills at least 21 people and displaces more than 1,600

SAO PAULO (AP) — Authorities in southern Brazil say at least 21 people have died due to a fierce storm that caused floods in several cities in the region. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul state said Tuesday that the death toll is the state’s highest due to a climate event. The governor says 15 of the deaths occurred in one house in Mucum, a city of about 50,000 residents. He says about 60 cities in all were battered by the storm, which was classified as an extratropical cyclone. The Rio Grande do Sul state government says at least 1,650 people have been made homeless by the storm.