Spanish
La Paz.- The Bolivian Government confirmed this Saturday that at least three people died, 18 are missing and 17 were injured as a result of the floods caused by the overflow of a river in the Santa Cruz region, the most populated in the country.
"Unfortunately, we have to report three deaths in Santa Cruz, 18 missing, and 17 people are currently receiving medical attention," presidential spokeswoman Carla Faval told the state-owned channel Bolivia TV.
Faval specified that 148 minors who were in the Social Orientation and Reintegration Center (Cenvicruz) for adolescents located in the municipality of El Torno, the most affected by the overflow of the Piraí River that occurred this morning, were evacuated.
He also assured that the national Government has been working in the affected areas since the early hours of the morning, when the regional Government of Santa Cruz contacted them to report on the damage.
The spokesperson announced that President Rodrigo Paz will travel this Sunday to El Torno to coordinate actions with the Incident Command Center (CCI) installed in that municipality and will also bring "donations" for the affected families.
El Torno is located about 32 kilometers southwest of the city of Santa Cruz, the capital of the homonymous region, and the Piraí River passes through there, one of the main rivers in the region that overflowed this morning due to the torrential rains that fell from last night in the area and that caused a historic rise of several tributaries.
Military personnel, police officers, officials from the Santa Cruz Governorate and the El Torno City Hall are working to rescue people who were left isolated, including some injured, with helicopter entries to at least three communities, EFE confirmed.
Faval noted that on this day, 17 people were rescued using a helicopter and indicated that two other aircraft of that type will also support the rescues in the area.
According to the spokesperson, the actions to address the emergency from the national government are coordinated between the ministries of Government (Interior), Defense, Health and entities such as the state-owned Bolivian Fiscal Petroleum Deposits (YPFB).
The Peace Office specified in a press release that the installation of a 'Crisis and Situation Room' was arranged in the Government Palace, which will function "as a strategic center for conducting, controlling, and making decisions".
The room, which will be led by the president, will be made up of ministers, vice-ministers, the high military and police command, and technical and operational officials "necessary" to "dispose of, articulate and mobilize all State resources in direct support of the affected population", the office indicated.
Furthermore, the instance will maintain a "direct and real-time coordination" with the CCI and with the Departmental Emergency Operations Committee (COED) of Santa Cruz to guarantee "an organized, efficient, and non-duplicative response," he added.
A month ago, the rains caused emergencies in the municipality of Samaipata, also in Santa Cruz.
The previous rainy season in Bolivia left more than 601,000 people affected, 97,506 families affected, 2,416 destroyed homes and 7,094 affected houses.
