The port city of Bah\u00eda Blanca has been \u00abdestroyed\u00bb after being pummelled by a year’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, killing 13 and driving hundreds from their homes, authorities said Saturday.<\/p>\n
Two young girls \u2013\u00a0reportedly aged four and one \u2013 remain missing after possibly being swept away by floodwaters in the wake of Friday’s storm.<\/p>\n
The deluge left hospital rooms underwater, turned neighbourhoods into islands and cut electricity to swathes of the city.<\/p>\n
National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said Bah\u00eda Blanca was \u00abdestroyed.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The death toll rose to 13 on Saturday, up from 10 on Friday, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The mayor’s office said more casualties were possible in this city of 350,000 residents, located 600 kilometres (370 miles) southwest of the capital Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n
The missing girls \u00abmay have been carried away by the water,\u00bb Bullrich told Radio Mitre.<\/p>\n
At least five of the victims died on flooded roadways, possibly after being trapped in their cars by fast-rising water.<\/p>\n
The downpour, which began Friday morning, dumped more than 400 millimetres (15.7 inches) of rain in the area in just eight hours, \u00abpractically what Bah\u00eda Blanca gets in an entire year,\u00bb Buenos Aires Province Security Minister Javier Alonso said.<\/p>\n
\u00abThis is unprecedented,\u00bb he added.<\/p>\n
Tempers flared Saturday as Bullrich and Defence Minister Luis Petri tried to visit an affected neighbourhood, with residents complaining they should have visited the area the previous night, according to a video shared on social media.<\/p>\n
Some locals tried to drag Bullrich toward floodwaters, shouting \u00abget wet!\u00bb and other abuse, before she was pulled away from the scrum by police and government officials.<\/p>\n
For environment official Andrea Dufourg, the extreme weather event \u00abis a clear example of climate change.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abUnfortunately this will continue to take place… we have no other option than to prepare cities, educate citizens, establish effective early warning systems,\u00bb said Dufourg, who is director of environmental policy for the city of Ituzaing\u00f3, outside Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n
The number of evacuees on Saturday stood at 850, down from a peak of 1,321, according to the mayor’s office.<\/p>\n
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Babies evacuated<\/strong><\/p>\n The storm forced the evacuation of Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Dr. Jos\u00e9 Pennal, with news footage and video shared on social media showing nurses and other medical staff carrying babies to safety. They were later assisted by the army.<\/p>\n Nearly 1.5 metres (five feet) of muddy water gushed into doctor Eduardo Seminara’s office.<\/p>\n \u00abEverything is ruined,\u00bb he told local channel C5N, pointing to a pile of soggy chairs, cushions and books dumped on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n But \u00abI’m not complaining, we didn’t lose any lives, our family is fine,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n Local media showed images of flooded shops and reported overnight looting.<\/p>\n The government has authorised emergency reconstruction aid of 10 billion pesos (US$9.2 million at the official exchange rate).\u00a0<\/p>\n The storm left much of the surrounding coastal area without power. At one point, city officials in Bah\u00eda Blanca\u00a0suspended electricity due to the huge amount of water in the streets.<\/p>\n Bah\u00eda Blanca has suffered past weather-related disasters, including a storm in December 2023 that claimed 13 lives. It caused houses to collapse and provoked widespread infrastructure damage.<\/p>\n Heavy rains also fell Friday night in the resort town of Mar del Plata, with officials suspending evening activities and urging people to remain indoors.<\/p>\n Buenos Aires was also hit by the storm but suffered no major damage.<\/p>\n by Sergio P\u00e9rez & Mart\u00edn Raschinsky, AFP<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nrelated news<\/h6>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n