Death toll in southern Brazil flood rises to 56

Fast-rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre, one of the largest cities in southern Brazil. Authorities there were scrambling to evacuate some neighborhoods that had been submerged -- in some cases using helicopters to rescue people stranded on roofs. And heavy rains of "very high severity" are expected to continue into Sunday, Civil Defense authorities said. The rapid rise of the Guaiba River, which runs through Porto Alegre...