Six were killed and hundreds evacuated in the Argentine port city of Bahia Blanca on Friday when torrential rains flooded homes and hospitals, destroyed roads, and led authorities to shut off power.
Unbroken rain for eight hours submerged the city of 350,000 residents, compelling authorities to evacuate the Jose Penna hospital.
Images on TV showed hospital medical staff evacuating infants from the neonatal ward and soldiers being deployed for rescue missions.
Around 1,000 people were brought to safety in the city located about 600 kilometers (375 miles) southwest of the capital, Buenos Aires.
Six have been confirmed dead by officials, but the number of fatalities could rise further, officials said.
The city received more than 400 millimetres of rain in just hours — equivalent to what it normally gets in a year, “something unprecedented,” according to Javier Alonso, security minister for the Buenos Aires province.
“The biggest storm in Bahia Blanca was in 1930, with 175 millimetres. This is almost three times bigger,” said Alonso.
Bahia Blanca’s airport was closed until further notice, and officials cut off part of the power supply to reduce the risk of electric shocks.
The provincial government said it was sending helicopters, canoes, ambulances and trucks bearing food, water and equipment to the stricken city.
The coast guard was assisting in the rescue with inflatable boats.
“It was raining, and suddenly we saw the street was flooded. About a meter-and-a-half of water came into my house,” Flavia Viera Romero, who rescued her children from the deluge, told the LN+ channel.
The city remains on alert from the meteorological service for new storms.
