Heavy rains across Peru's remote jungle and Andean regions have killed six people and left almost 2,000 homeless, government emergency agency INDECI said on Wednesday.
The rains, which began late last week and mark the start of the rainy season, caused large mudslides and flooding, washing away hundreds of wooden and straw houses, the agency said.
The northern San Martin province, central Huanuco province and the higher altitude Puno province bordering Bolivia were the most affected areas, the agency said.
"An eleven-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy were among the dead. Their house was crushed in a mudslide," an INDECI spokesman told Reuters, adding that in some areas it had rained continuously for 60 hours since Monday.
Some 1,865 people have so far been made homeless, while another 8,900 people have been temporarily flooded out of their homes, the spokesman said.
INDECI said it was providing tents, water and food for those affected, but warned people to prepare for stronger rains expected in February, and to move their homes away from vulnerable areas such as hill tops and river banks.
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