LA PAZ, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Six people are dead and two minors are missing after heavy rains this week sparked flooding in the Bolivian town of Tipuani in the department of La Paz, authorities said Wednesday.
Flooding has led to the death of an elderly person who was unable to leave his home and a traffic accident in which "the vehicle ran aground and as a result one person died," Major Victor Ramirez, operational chief of police, told state-run television station Bolivia TV.
A public service vehicle fell into the river on Tuesday, leaving four dead, he added.
Representative of the Municipal Emergency Operations Committee Ricardo Claros told reporters that the rains and overflowing rivers have inundated hundreds of houses, destroyed hectares of crops and left roadways impassable.
Furthermore, containment walls and structures built to protect the town from flooding were destroyed, leading to greater devastation.
According to Claros, 80 percent of the municipality is flooded, and hundreds of families have been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
The Bolivian government launched an aid operation to help the affected families. ■
