5 killed as flooding hits Buenos Aires

Storms have swept across parts of South America causing widespread disruption.

Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Southern Brazil have all been affected by the severe weather, but one of the worst hit locations was Buenos Aires.

In the Argentinian capital the storm caused widespread power cuts, flooded subway lines and turned streets into raging rivers.

At least five people are known to have died. One of those killed was a subway worker who was electrocuted as he tried to pump water out of a flooded station.

Over 24 hours, the Meteorological Department reported 195mm of rain at their observatory site, but elsewhere it was even heavier. Meteorologists at the National University of La Plata reported that as much as 322mm of rain had fallen on their reporting station. This is over three times the amount of rain that is expected in the entire month of April.

Much of the rain fell in a very short time period. 155mm of rain was reported in two hours, smashing the previous record of 142mm of rain which fell in the same period on 8 April 1989.

As the water poured across the city, streets filled with water, cars floated away and houses flooded. Some residents even reported that the water in their homes had risen up to the ceiling.

As the rain subsided, people were rescued from their homes in boats and were forced to spend the night in emergency accommodation.

More rain is expected on Wednesday, but after that the weather should turn dry, which will allow the city to dry out.