Argentine authorities have updated the number of fatalities from Friday's severe storm in Bahía Blanca, with the final death toll still feared to rise as over 100 people remain missing, with more than 1,000 evacuated. Local and national officials under the Unified Emergency Command are coordinating relief efforts, which involve federal forces, security teams, and the military.
The heavy rain and severe flooding hitting the Argentine city of Bahía Blanca Friday resulted in at least ten deaths, with authorities warning that more victims may be discovered as water levels recede. The storm, which dumped 400 millimeters of water in eight hours, has left parts of the city under two meters of water, forcing the evacuation of 1,321 people to 15 rescue centers.
The City of Bahía Blanca, in the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 570 km south of the country's capital, was struck by a record-setting rainfall way worse than the historic 167.6 mm recorded in 1933.
With the Parana crucial waterway again beginning to suffer the consequences of lack of a sufficient water level, making the loading of cereals and oil seeds at the main Argentine exporting port of Rosario, it is estimated that in the remaining months of the year, Bahía Blanca directly on the Atlantic will be receiving probably half a million tons of additional grains to dispatch.
Argentine authorities in the city port of Bahía Blanca in the province of Buenos Aires said a new oil spill had been reported after the one late last month. However, this time around the damage would have been controlled in less time, it was explained.
A Bahía Blanca Federal Court of Appeals has upheld a judicial ruling whereby the decommissioned destroyer ARA Santísima Trinidad which took part in the Apr. 2, 1982 landing at Port Stanley, can not be sold as scrap metal, despite its current state of deterioration.
Dredging has started off the Argentine port of Bahía Blanca this week to restore the main channel so that ships up to 45 feet deep or 50 50 feet at high tide can be allowed in.
Argentina will be receiving in a few weeks time five refurbished Dassault-Breguet Super Etendard (SEM) fighter bombers decommissioned from the French navy. The 13 million Euro purchase also includes a flight simulator, engines and spares and are currently sailing across the Atlantic en route to Bahía Blanca.
A rare snowfall was seen across parts of Uruguay on Sunday while graupel resulted in an icy coating across parts of eastern Argentina.
The current managers of YPF accused Spain’s Repsol of deliberately delaying or ignoring contracts to supply Argentina with liquid natural gas, following the seizure of a majority stake in the company belonging to the Spanish corporation.