Bolivia floods kill 38, leave many homeless

Torrential rain and floods in Bolivia have killed 38 people so far this year and left many homeless, the government has said.

The Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that more than 40,000 families have been affected by the rains and the flooding since October, Reuters reported.

The ministry said it had sent in food aid and the army was evacuating families from the worst affected regions, such as Beni province in northeastern Bolivia.

The government also said around 100,000 head of cattle are threatened and some 6,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed, around 0.2 percent of Bolivia’s total.

The rainy season in Bolivia usually lasts until March, increasing the chances of even worse floods, especially in the north of the Andean country.