RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian authorities on Wednesday confirmed one more death caused by the heavy rains which have hit the south of the country since last week, raising the total death toll to 11.

A 45-year-old man was hit to death by lightning in the town of Santo Antonio das Missoes, Rio Grande do Sul state.

In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 48 of the 496 municipalities have declared a state of emergency, the authorities said.

Over 14,000 people had to leave their homes due to the floods. Most of them went to their friends' or relatives' homes, but about4,000 citizens had nowhere to go and stayed in public shelters.

Besides, almost 10,000 people are currently without electricity.

Other southern states including Santa Catarina and Parana were also attacked by the storms.

Storms and accompanying floods are quite common in Brazil's southern and southeastern regions during spring and summer. One year ago, a major flood hit Santa Catarina state, killing 135 people and forcing 78,000 others to leave their homes.

Editor: Han Jingjing