Peru’s civil defense has announced that the rainy season in that country, which began in September, has left at least 59 dead and 8 missing. Flooding has affected 24 of the 25 regions.

“Since the beginning (September) of the rainy season to March 12, we have 12,200 casualties, 59 killed, 57 injured and 8 missing,” said Carlos Yáñez, head of the National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci), who provided the updated balance. at press conference.

The authority also reported “1,326 houses destroyed and 3,173 uninhabitable”, confirming the damage recorded in the country since the rainy season began.

Disorganized Cyclone Yaku has also affected the intensity of recent rainfall in the north.

“Cyclone Yaku is located off the Lambayeque and La Libertad region and causes increased humidity in the north of the country, bringing heavy rainfall to the north and center,” explains Yáñez.

The movement of the cyclone, which is located about 500 kilometers from the Peruvian coast, according to the Peruvian Meteorological Service (Senahmi), has triggered an alert for heavy rainfall in Lima, where rainfall is rare.

President Dina Boluarte reported that “400 districts in the country have declared a state of emergency due to the impact of Cyclone Yaku in the country.”

The Senahmi clarified that it is not the first time “a disorganized cyclone other than tropical cyclones” has appeared off the Peruvian coast.

The presence of this type of cyclone is associated with the climate phenomenon El Niño. “In Peru there was already a cyclone in 1982 and 1983 with El Niño and in 2017, but this time it is bigger,” meteorologist Raquel Loayza told RPP radio on Friday.

“This cyclone is weakening as the water cools and approaches the coast,” he added.