Death toll hits 143 from Brazil state's "worst-ever" weather catastrophe

SAO PAULO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to 143 from the worst extreme weather to ever hit south Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state, with 125 people missing and more than 600,000 evacuated, the Civil Defense agency said Sunday.

In two weeks of record rainfall that has unleashed flooding and mudslides across the state, 446 towns have witnessed dramatic scenes of survivors rescued from floodwaters, includin