Eight left dead after severe flooding hits Argentina and Uruguay

AT LEAST eight people have died following severe flooding in Argentina and Uruguay last week. Around 15,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the northern portions of the neighbouring South American countries. The Argentine provinces of Chaco, Corrientes and Entre Rios and the Uruguayan provinces of Artigas, Salto and Paysandú on the Brazilian border were the hardest hit. The heavy rain of recent days followed months of drought in north-eastern Argentina. Deforestation in the country’s warmest areas has exacerbated the risk of flooding and landslides.