Srinagar, May 04 (KNS): At least 31 people have been killed and over 70 are missing after heavy rain battered Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, reports said.

Reports said at least 17,000 were displaced in the state bordering Uruguay and Argentina, which had nearly half of its 497 cities affected.

They said that in several towns, streets essentially turned into rivers, with roads and bridges destroyed. The storm also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam structure at a small hydroelectric power plant.

They said that a second dam in the city of Bento Goncalves is also at risk of collapsing and that people who live nearby need to be evacuated.

Reports added that the death toll will likely climb further as authorities have not been able to access certain locations. (KNS)