An unusual bout of heavy rains powered by El Niño conditions have drenched parts of Peru with 10 times more rainfall than normal, causing rivers to overflow, and mudslides to destroy roads and farms. More than 70 deaths have been attributed to the flooding, which has isolated hundreds and displaced thousands. Rescue crews continue to search for those in need, while some residents are now beginning clean-up and recovery work. Officials have warned that the wetter weather might last another month or more.
Peru Suffers Worst Flooding in Decades
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Residents of the Huachipa district, east of Lima, Peru, are helped by police and fire rescue teams to cross over flash floods hitting their neighborhood and isolating its residents on March 17, 2017. #
Cris Bouroncle / AFP / Getty -
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Sections of the central railroad track that follows the Rimac River, which suffered severe damage by rising water and flash floods in the town of Chosica, at the foot of the Andes mountains east of Lima, on March 18, 2017. #
Cris Bouroncle / AFP / Getty -
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Rescue workers use an extension ladder to evacuate stranded residents after the Huaycoloro river overflowed its banks sending torrents of mud and water rushing through the streets in Huachipa, Peru, on March 17, 2017. #
Guadalupe Pardo / Reuters -
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A dog stands among debris in a destroyed home, after rivers breached their banks due to torrential rains, causing flooding and widespread destruction in Huachipa on March 19, 2017. #
Mariana Bazo / Reuters -
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