Late Sunday, Argentina declared three days of national mourning after the death toll from recent flash flooding rose to 16, with others still unaccounted for.
The fatal floods struck Friday when a year’s worth of rain fell in hours around and in Bahia Blanca, a major port city in southern Buenos Aires province, inundating whole neighborhoods with waters that rose swiftly.
The country was particularly shaken by chilling reports of two girls, aged one and five, being swept away in the flood.
Divers were still searching the area, where more than a meter of water remained, Alonso reported to Radio Mitre.
The deluge caused $400 million worth of infrastructural loss, Bahia Blanca Mayor Federico Susbielles reported to a press conference.
Susbielles later added comment to an X post that 16 confirmed deaths had occurred, with more to come as the search efforts were still ongoing.
The government approved 10 billion pesos in emergency reconstruction assistance ($9.2 million at the official exchange rate).
Argentine football legend Lionel Messi posted his condolences on Instagram to the families of the dead.
“Much strength to all those who are having a rough time in this difficult moment,” he wrote.
Bahia Blanca is said to have suffered past weather-related disasters, including a storm in December 2023 that claimed 13 lives.
Genloaded report on friday that Six were killed and hundreds evacuated in the Argentine port city of Bahia Blanca.
