Death toll in Brazil floods rises to 171

Death toll in Brazil floods has risen to 171 , the state's civil defence agency said. 

Cases of leptospirosis are also on the rise, it added. Since April 29, floods caused by record rains and rising rivers have affected 2.39 million people, with 43 missing and 617,900 having been evacuated from their destroyed or flooded homes, according to the agency. 

The affected cities have been relieved in the past week thanks to the dry weather that allowed rescue and reconstruction as well as the beginning of subsidy payments to the affected designated by the government, reports Xinhua news agency.

The climate tragedy has affected 475 of the 497 municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, an important agricultural hub in Brazil and a top producer of rice in Latin America.