Latin America faces natural disasters

While the number of deaths due to floods in Bolivia is increasing, in Brazil, landslides have killed at least nine people.

As noted by the Brazilian government, landslides occurred continuously on February 3 in Itaipava, in Rio de Janeiro, causing at least nine deaths. The continuous flooding of rain down this mountainous area has led to thousands of tons of rocks pouring down and burying many houses in the area.

An area in Rio de Janeiro suffered heavy flooding (Photo: TTO)

Among the dead was a five-year-old baby and her 70-year-old grandmother. There are also 12 others injured. Rescuers are still deploying the search campaign for victims.

The mayor of Itaipava issued a state of emergency in the region. Itaipava is considered a peaceful area for those who want to escape the bustling atmosphere of festivals that want to seek residence at this time.

Meanwhile, in Bolivia, the government is preparing to declare the "national catastrophe" for constant floods since November 2007 until now. According to recent statistics, the number of deaths due to natural disasters in this country is up to at least 45 people and another 120,000 people have a strong impact. According to the rescue agency, the number of casualties will not stop here because the weather situation has not shown signs of improvement.

Hernan Tuco, a government official affirmed that Bolivians are experiencing one of the biggest and most severe disasters in the last decade. Currently, rivers still overflow the banks, destroying crops and herds in 5/9 provinces. In Santa Cruz region alone, agricultural losses are estimated at up to 500 million USD. The Bolivian government is considering the possibility of asking for help from the United Nations to overcome this disaster.