A 38-year old Canadian woman is still missing after being swept away while crossing a flooded ravine in southern Uruguay on Friday 2nd February.
“Two people of Canadian citizenship tried to cross a ravine near Route 5, in the department of Canelones, and were washed away,” reported AFP. The 63 year old man was able to get out of danger but his partner of 38 years was swept away and is still missing.
Local authorities commenced search and rescue efforts on Friday night, when they were notified of the incident.
In Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, nearly 500mm (20 inches) of rain has fallen since the beginning of January.
Local authorities said that nearly 4000 people have been forced to flee their homes by the flooding.
On Friday 9th February the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology issued a statement warning residents that an additional 100-200mm (4 to 8 inches) of rainfall was expected over the next several days, with up to 300mm (12 inches) locally, and to take necessary precaution as conditions continue to deteriorate.
The heavy rainfall is caused by a cold front lingering over the area, with hot humid air inland generating storms to the west which push towards the coastline. The storms are expected to clear by Thursday, moving off to the northeast, while cooler air will push into Montevideo.
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Sources: MSN; The Weather Network
