Torrential rains affect 15,000 families in Peru

Recent heavy downpours in Peru's southern Andes have affected some 15,000 families in Andahuaylas Province of Apurimac Region, local authorities said Thursday. At a press conference, Oscar Rojas, president of Apurimac's Civil Defense Office, said that according to initial damage assessments of the deluge, 120 houses were destroyed, 500 hectares of crops damaged and 80 km of highways blocked by landslides. He added that respiratory diseases increased in the region due to low temperatures and torrential rains, and flooding from rivers killed some 500 farm animals, which might lead to a food shortage for local residents. Rojas said the Apurimac government's agriculture, education and transportation authorities have agreed to send emergent humanitarian aid to the affected families. Officials also planned to clear roads and help farmers recover farmland.