At least 20 dead in flooding in Bolivia

TT

Published 2025-12-15 20.50

 

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz. Archive photo. Photo: Juan Karita/AP/TT

At least 20 people have been found dead and many are missing after the Piraí River in eastern Bolivia overflowed after a weekend of heavy rains.

The floods are reported to have hit several areas outside Santa Cruz hard. In El Torno, southwest of the city, residents have been forced to climb onto the roofs of their homes or into trees to escape the floodwaters.

Helicopters have been deployed in the rescue operation.

President Rodrigo Paz called an emergency meeting this weekend where he warned that Bolivia is facing a difficult situation due to the weather phenomena La Niña and El Niño.

“During the first days of the rainy season, all reported records from the last 100 years have been broken,” Paz said.