Rains continue to swamp S America

Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador are reporting flooding, which has claimed lives, as the rains continue to fall heavily.

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Three people have been reported dead in Bolivia and President Evo Morales has pledged $20m in emergency aid [AFP] 

Over the past few weeks, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador have all been reporting flooding, and the rains are still falling heavily.

Peru’s most famous tourist attraction, Machu Picchu, is now cut off. Perched on the top of a 2,400-metre ridge, the famous monument is the country’s main tourist attraction.

Despite being so popular, there is just one train line which runs up to the ruin and this lies on the banks of the Urubamba River. After days and days of heavy rain, the river has burst its banks and the train line has had to be suspended.

This is not the first time that the train line has had to close. Last year, the route was closed for two whole months, again due to flooding. The rains this year continue to fall heavily.

Around 150km to the west of Cusco, a station called Andahualaylas has reported 200mm rain in the 24 hours up to 00GMT on Wednesday. The area would normally expect to see only 150mm in the entire month of February.

This year the flooding has not only been confined to Peru, Bolivia has also seen devastating floods. The country has now declared a state of emergency in four of its states, as rivers in the Amazon and the Highlands have burst their banks.

Three people have been reported dead and President Evo Morales has pledged $20m in emergency aid.

The rainy season will continue until the middle of March, so between now and then, there is still the risk of seeing yet more flooding.

Source: Al Jazeera