By IANS/EFE,
Brasilia : Rains that battered Brazil’s southern coast in the past week have left 8,000 people homeless and vast areas without electricity and potable water, officials said.
The state of Parana has been most affected, with people facing water and electricity shortages, emergency management officials said in a report.
Mudslides caused by heavy downpour blocked some national highways, and firefighters were working to restore the flow of traffic.
One person buried in a rain-triggered mudslide in Parana has been the lone fatality so far in the state, but authorities said the number could rise.
In Rio Grande do Sul state, bordering Parana, eight people have died in floods.