Peru: Thousands driven from homes by floods, death toll increases from 24
World
Peru: Thousands driven from homes by floods, death toll increases from 24
Days of heavy rains in Peru brought continued landslides and flooding in the regions of Ayacucho, Cuzco and Puno, driving hundreds out of their homes.In Ayacucho, around 100 homes were damaged when the Huantachaca River flowed over its banks and into a neighborhood. Locals crossed a precarious bridge while muddy water blasted the pillars. Roads and homes in the town of Huanta were full of water, mud and debris after the river ran into neighborhoods. I have been trying to bail the water out of my house since three in the morning. Twenty people helped me but I was not able to do it, a resident told. Families walked amongst the rubble of crumbled walls and tried to pull what belongings they could from homes. Local newspapers are reporting the wettest rainy season in 15 years. Thousands of tourists have been trapped at Machu Picchu, but other parts of the Cuzco region have also been hit hard by the rains, with some 13,000 affected by the floods and at least 24 dead. In Zurite in Cuzco, roads were washed out and farmers tried to move their animals to higher ground.
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