Heavy rains and flooding in Brazil's southern state of Parana have claimed the lives of nine people and affected more then 51,418 residents across 74 towns, authorities said Monday.Torrential downpours that started Friday have damaged more than 5,000 houses and forced 3,650 people from their homes, in addition to cutting off several regional and federal highways, Xinhua quoted the civil defence department as saying.
The state capital of Curitiba, one of 12 cities to host the 2014 Brazil World Cup which starts Thursday, registered the largest affected population, or some 15,213 people.Authorities declared a state of emergency in the worst-hit towns, Rosario do Ivai, in the northern part of the state, and Guarupava, in the south-central portion.Parana Governor Beto Richa announced Sunday that he was earmarking 6 million reals (about $3 million) to attend to the needs of the 74 towns affected by the heavy rains.