Rains, land sliding demolish 400 homes in Bolivia

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Rains, land sliding demolish 400 homes in Bolivia

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Heavy rains caused a hilltop to collapse in a poor neighborhood of the Bolivian capital Sunday, cracking roads, destroying at least 400 homes and burying people's belongings under mud and debris.

28 February,2011 07:14 pm

There were no fatalities but significant damage from the landslide in the barrio of Callapa. Edwin Herrera, a city government spokesman, called Sundays slide the worst that La Paz has ever seen and he said the earth was still moving downhill. So far we are talking about 5,000 (people) affected, but the slide is affecting neighborhoods in lower areas, he said.Residents began evacuating late Saturday when the hill, saturated after prolonged rains, began sliding and cracks appeared in streets and home. By day, amid a persistent drizzle, some residents scrambled over the unstable terrain to try to rescue furniture and other possessions from the muck.Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra said soldiers were mobilized to aid evacuation and recovery efforts. A hilltop cemetery was split in two when an enormous crack opened in the ground. Heavy rains are blamed for 44 deaths around the country in recent weeks.