March 24, 2023, 10:00 AM
March 24, 2023, 10:00 AM
More than 15 people were rescued after the river floods after the last rains registered since Wednesday in the department of Santa Cruz. The last person to be evacuated was a 38-year-old woman, who was left isolated in the river in the area of the Porongo municipality, and unfortunately two other people died.
The brigade members of the Governor’s Office went to the scene of the incident around 6:00 in the morning this Friday, coordinating the rescue with the team from the Security Department of the Interior, the community members of Porongo and the municipality.
Laura García, the 38-year-old woman, took refuge on an island and small mountain until the arrival of the rescuers, and after being rescued, she was transferred to the other side of the river and evacuated in an ambulance for her medical assistance.
Both rescuers after bringing the woman to safety They crossed the river in a boat, concluding the rescue work.
The rescuers managed to evacuate the woman this morning/Photo: Santa Cruz Governorate
Meanwhile, in the early hours of the morning, another person was also rescued from the waters of the Piraí River, a job that was even more complicated, since the darkness did not favor the tasks.
The water levels registered rises extraordinary, exceeding their normal floods, and despite being alerted by the authorities, some dredgers were trapped.
One of the first interventions was in the municipality of Warnes, where on Thursday morning five people were rescued by helicopter.
The Secretary of Citizen Security of the Interior, Paola Weber, indicated that some 15 people were rescued by the brigades, until Thursday, another two this Friday morning and unfortunately, two died.
“We have rescued the body of another drowned person at the end of the Isuto channel, a person between 40 and 45 years old, and today (Thursday) we again have another person who has been dragged in Valle Sánchez (Warnes). HSo far, there are 15 people evacuated and rescued by air and by boat by volunteers, police and the Risk Directorate,” it reported.
He explained that there are two people who lost their lives between Wednesday and Thursday, who tried to cross the river or swim despite the floods, which is why it calls the attention of the population to put not only their lives at risk, but also the equipment of rescues.
They rescued the people trapped in the river/Photo: Ministry of Government.
For his part, Minister of Government Eduardo Del Castillo, reported through his social networks about one of the rescues at kilometer 12 of the Piraí River, where seven people were evacuated and transferred by helicopter.
The action was carried out in the early hours of the morning and after several attempts and hours of work, they managed to put those trapped in the river to safety.
Even hours later, another person was also rescued in the Valle Sánchez area. “We highlight the great work carried out by police and fire personnel of the departmental direction of the Police Air Service, and personnel of the FAB (Bolivian Air Force)”, indicated the minister.
