Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-wb) -- The district of Pozuzo (Pasco region), a Tyrolean colony founded in the mid 19th century, was cut off from the rest of civilization for three days after two bridges collapsed that connected the jungle region with the outside world.

Torrential rain fell for more than 10 hours and caused the overflowing of the Rio Negro and flooded about 20 houses. Electricity and potable water supply are interrupted.

Engineer Julio Romero Chuquillanqui, head of Civil defense at the municipality of Oxapampa, said that the 2-lane Tulumayo bridge (kilometer 31.1 of the highway Oxapampa-Huancabamba- Pozuzo), succumbed to the water masses. The same fate suffered the Rayatambo viaduct 5 kilometers further down the road after it was torn apart by the raging river whose water level rose more than 2 meters above normal. Peru's Ministry for Transportation and Communications has sent a shipment containing a temporary bridge to the area.

The emergency began last Tuesday around 4 a.m. according to townspeople's accounts. The regional government is trying send first aid products and supplies by helicopter but its not nearly enough. The situation even worsened when more rain fell Wednesday night that extended for ten hours nonstop causing the overflowing of the Rio Negro which crosses through the Pozuzo Colony. Twenty houses quickly filled up with mud and water, local police troops informed. Electricity and drinking water supply were restored yesterday, Thursday, around 3 p.m.

The Civil Defense informed via an official note that the flooding and landslides devastated two kilometers of highway in the Malpaso-Pozuzo route, where five people were killed and another five went missing.

Abel Mucha Chávez (50) died after he was squashed by his collapsing house located in Tarma's district of Casablanca. His body was later found underneath the adobe rubble. Reports also say that Fidel Contreras (48) has disappeared. The last time his family saw him alive was when he tried crossing the Tarma river. Search efforts by local police and firemen were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, works are underway to repair an emergency bridge in Yanango (Tarma-La Merced highway). The temporary viaduct had replaced the original bridge that collapsed more than a year ago, leaving the central forest area isolated for three months. The single lane emergency bridge has a capacity of 36 tons and is only permitted for light vehicles and small buses. This is the route that usually connects the provinces of Chanchamayo, Satipo, Oxapampa, Villa Rica and Pozuzo.

Due to lack of permanent control and the irresponsibility of some drivers of heavier trucks, the temporary bridge's metal structure has been debilitated.

The Tyrolean colonies of Pozuzo and Oxapampa will celebrate the 250th anniversary of their ancestors departure from various towns in Austria. This latest catastrophe may put a damper on the scheduled festivities.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid, the flooding and intense rain that has whipped Peru for weeks, have affected 33,862 people and more than 4,500 are in urgent need of aid. The whole central and northeastern part of the country, specifically the districts of Huánuco and San Martin have been devastated.

1,233 houses have been destroyed and 5,595 more have been damaged. 60 kilometers of road network have been seriously affected, according to UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.

More than 3,500 hectares of agricultural cultivation have been destroyed and an additional 3,000 hectares have been damaged.