La Paz, Feb 20 : The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Bolivia has risen to 30, with five people still missing and more than 126,000 families affected, Deputy Civil Defence Minister Juan Carlos Calvimontes said.

In the past week alone, floods and landslides have affected more than 10,000 families and claimed two more lives, raising the total from 28 to 30 deaths. The number of affected families climbed from 116,207 to 126,236, including 91,422 impacted households and 34,814 classified as disaster victims, Calvimontes said on Wednesday at a news conference.

Since November 2024, floods have damaged 1,004 homes, with 350 completely destroyed, as conditions continue to worsen, Xinhua news agency reported.

The rains have affected eight of the country's nine departments.

Bolivia floods death toll rises to 30

"We are talking about 83 municipalities affected and I am sure that within a week many of them will declare themselves in disaster," the official told a press conference.

So far, 27 municipalities have declared themselves in a state of emergency, of which 22 belong to La Paz, the department hardest hit by the climate.

The deaths were caused by floods in the departments of Chuquisaca (south), La Paz (west), Tarija (south), Cochabamba (centre), Santa Cruz (east), and Potosi (southwest), according to the government.

The western department of La Paz has declared a state of emergency due to severe flooding, signaling that local authorities are overwhelmed and allowing for the mobilisation of national resources to support relief efforts.

Calvimontes said the country faces a major challenge in protecting residents and rebuilding communities. He warned that heavy rains are expected to persist through April.

The National Meteorology and Hydrology Service has described Bolivia's current weather patterns as highly severe. Authorities are working with meteorologists to provide early warnings to local governments and reduce risks, he added.

In addition, four people remain missing, three of them in the north of La Paz and one in the department of Chuquisaca.

The National Meteorology and Hydrology Service predicted that the rains will persist in the coming weeks, with the possibility of extending until March and April.

/IANS