More than 2,000 evacuated in Argentina due to floods — Buenos Aires Times

In northeastern Argentina, more than 2,000 people were forced to leave their homes due to floods linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon. Two agricultural workers died in Corrientes Province while moving livestock between islands to save the animals from rising water, Buenos Aires Times reports.

Evacuations in Chaco and Corrientes

In Chaco Province, between 1,200 and 1,300 people were evacuated or left their homes on their own. The cities of Puerto Vilelas and Barranqueras were hit hardest. Gustavo Santos, the province's deputy secretary of civil protection, said fluctuations in river water levels could continue for several more months.

In neighboring Corrientes Province, more than 1,000 people left their homes, according to the civil defense service. In the tourist town of Paso de la Patria on the Paraná River, several neighborhoods were flooded after a protective dike collapsed under water pressure. Some residents remain in flooded homes while authorities reinforce protective structures and prepare temporary shelters.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Rising river levels

Heavy rainfall in recent weeks has caused dangerous rises in water levels in the Iguazú, Paraná and Uruguay rivers, which run along Argentina's northeastern borders with Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Authorities in Corrientes warned that forecast rainfall in the upper basins of the Paraná and Uruguay could cause another rise in water levels next week.

In Misiones Province, storms damaged more than 100 homes, while roads and bridges were closed after streams overflowed their banks. Near Iguazú Falls, water flow in mid-October was ten times higher than the average for this time of year. Access to the Devil's Throat section of the falls has been closed since August, although some tourist routes have already reopened.