Widespread flooding in Paraguay causes damage, deaths

Paraguay has been inundated by frequent heavy rains that started at the end of April and have continued into this week.

In some locations across the country, it has rained nine out of 17 days, with some areas receiving well over 80mm rainfall daily.

The early days of heavy rain led to widespread flooding and evacuations as well as a state of emergency being declared.

But now, even though the rain has subsided, areas along the Paraguay River are dealing with concerns over floods as the swollen Paraguay River overflows.

In areas north and northwest of the capital, the flooding has recently killed at least six people in the communities of Presidente Hayes and Alto Paraguay.

The rising water level has cut off those towns, preventing much needed medical aid from coming in.

In Pilar, 300km south of Asuncion, flooding has affected at least 90 percent of the population.

And it is the southern end of the Paraguay River that will continue to be susceptible to flooding in the coming weeks.

Even as the forecast calls for drier conditions, the excess water in the north still needs to travel south.