Bolivia under weather alert as heavy rains continue

By Vatican News staff reporter

Bolivia’s deputy minister of civil defence has said torrential rains in the country have killed at least 22 people in the past three months.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Juan Carlos Calvimontes announced a weather alert for some 85 percent of Bolivia’s 340 municipalities. The government has urged local authorities to be prepared to respond to possible emergencies.

Calvimontes declared the communities of La Asunta, Tipuani and Irupana in the department of La Paz, and Cotagaita in Potosi as “municipal disasters”, with the cities of Huacaraje and Trinidad in Beni Department declared “municipal emergencies.

According to the government, 44 municipalities have been affected by flooding caused by the heavy rains. In response, the government has provided more than 130 tons of humanitarian assistance to victims, and deployed an immediate reaction team to deliver aid to those in need.