RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains have caused four more towns in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul to declare state of emergency in the past week, raising the total number of affected municipalities in the state to 40, local authorities stated on Tuesday.

    A total of 10,000 people had to leave their homes due to the floods; 1,160 of them had to go to shelters, while the rest was currently at the houses of friends or relatives. The bad weather had also left 15,000 people without electricity in the state.

    According to the civil defense services, it is the rainiest November in the last 23 years in Rio Grande do Sul.

    In neighboring Santa Catarina state, the bad weather had already caused one death as well as damage to several properties. The towns of Maracaja and Orleans declared state of emergency, and 1,300 people had to leave their homes.

    In Parana state, also in the southern region, a man and a woman died after falling into a stream. The rain that has been falling over the state for the last two weeks has affected over 42,000 people in 17 municipalities.