Peru flooding kills 72

Mark Ross
By Mark Ross
March 19, 2017World News
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Peru has been stricken by intense rains all year, causing flooding and mudslides which have killed 72 people so far.

It is the worst flooding since 1998, when 374 people were killed.

Half the country has been affected. A state of emergency has been declared in 811 cities.

Drainage systems in cities along Peru’s Pacific coast have been overwhelmed. The health ministry is fumigating to stop the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Peru’s capital, Lima, has been without water service since the beginning of the week. Lima normally has a desert climate, but now overflowing rivers have made the streets impassable.

The northeast coast has been hit particularly hard, with some villages being completely isolated.

The government has called up the army to help maintain public order.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski flew over flooded areas on Saturday, March 18, to survey the damage

The storms are caused by a warming of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean. They are expected to last another two weeks.

(AP)

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