Extreme storms leave two dead in Bolivia

For parts of central South America, the last several weeks have proved to be quite stormy, particularly for Bolivia. 

After coming out of one of the worst droughts this country has seen in over 25 years, strong thunderstorms proved deadly this past weekend.

Heavy rain caused major flooding in the area around Santa Cruz. Accumulations of over 75 millimetres were recorded in the city of Viru Viru in just a few hours.

Along with the heavy rain, the storms also produced massive amounts of hail that looked more like snow in some places.

At least two people have died due to the severe weather that hit the country late Friday night into Saturday morning.

Strong storms also impacted Bolivia last month during the Dakar Rally. Several legs of the annual race had to be cancelled when storms caused some roads to become impassable because of flooding and landslides.

More rain is forecast this coming week for Bolivia, with the northern and northeastern part of the country at risk for more flooding.