Brasilia, Jul 14 (IANS): An extratropical cyclone has devastated southern Brazil, leaving at least one person dead, 24 injured and some 790,000 residents without power, local authorities said.

The Civil Defense reported that between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the cyclone caused floods and the most damage in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina near the border with Argentina and Uruguay, reports Xinhua news agency.

The regional government further said that in the city of the Rio Grande, one person died when a tree fell on a house as a result of the winds, which reached 140 km per hour on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Meteorology declared a red alert in the southern region of Brazil due to the extratropical cyclone, the third in the region in less than a month.

Personnel from the Civil Defence and municipalities have prepared gymnasiums and schools as shelters in case of evacuations.

According to local media reports, at least 10 highways in Rio Grande do Sul were blocked by cyclone damage.