INTERNATIONAL: As Brazil faces a punishing drought, swaths of the so-called Fish Lagoon in Rio Grande do Sul look depleted of water and filled instead with vast amounts of dead fish- the latest mass casualties of the country's dry spell.

Fisherman Daniel de Matos Rosa has estimated between 15 and 20 tonnes of fish had died in the brackish waters of the lake as a heatwave and sharp decrease in rains had lowered the basin's water level.

He has said they are experiencing a great drought that is really harming fishermen. And also the entire ecosystem. Loses are huge.

Brazil is suffering one of its worst droughts in decades, pushing up food and power prices, fanning double-digit inflation in a country already battered by one of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreaks.

Dry conditions are also burdening the agricultural sector as forecasts show continued dryness across crop-growing regions of Brazil for the coming two weeks, reinforcing recent reduced crop estimates by private consultants.

South American weather concerns are driving export business to the United States at a time when export demand generally shifts to Brazil and Argentina.

Last month, Brazilian meat industry group ABPA has said Brazilian consumers could see another round of stiff rises in food prices this year as meatpackers grapple with higher costs due to a drought hurting the crop.