Latest news Argentina's president orders national mourning after storm
The death toll in the flooded Argentinian city of Bahía Blanca has now risen to 16.
10.03.2025, 12:07
SDA
The body of a man who had been missing until then was last found on Sunday, reported the newspaper "La Nación", citing the Ministry of Security of the province of Buenos Aires.
President Javier Milei ordered three days of national mourning for the victims of the disaster. The search for further missing persons is continuing, according to a statement from the presidential office on Sunday (local time).
On Friday, a severe storm hit the city of around 330,000 inhabitants in the south of Buenos Aires province. According to the weather service, 210 liters of rainfall per square meter were measured in Bahía Blanca within 24 hours - that's about a third of the average rainfall per year.
"Tragedy in every respect"
According to Bahía Blanca's mayor, Federico Susbielles, it was as much as 400 liters per square meter. That is almost 70 percent of the amount of rain that normally falls in the area throughout the year, "La Nación" quoted him as saying.
As a result, the city, which is located near the Atlantic coast, was almost completely flooded. Public transport was suspended, hospitals evacuated and the airport closed.
The floods brought communication networks in some particularly affected districts to a standstill for a long time. Cell phones could not be charged due to a lack of electricity. Many people who could not be reached by relatives were initially reported missing.
A video published by the Ministry of Defense on the X platform showed the completely flooded area from the air. In a television interview, Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich spoke of a "tragedy in every sense of the word".
Since the disaster occurred, the government has made all available resources available "in record time" to rescue and care for those affected, the presidential office announced. Army units are supporting the local rescue and emergency services. Barracks at the Puerto Belgrano naval base have been converted into emergency shelters.
The government approved aid amounting to 10 billion pesos (around 8.2 million Swiss francs at the official exchange rate) to repair the damage. According to Bahía Blanca's mayor Susbielles, however, at least 400 billion pesos are needed to rebuild the city.
