Snowstorms leave thousands stranded in Bolivia
12th July 2011
The worst snowstorms in two decades have left tourists stranded, and more snow is forecast
Heavy snowfall in the typically-dry highlands of Potosi in the southwest of Bolivia has stranded locals and tourists, after it blanketed the landscape and made roads inaccessible.
The governor has confirmed the snow has affected "7,000 people" and "41,000 herding animals". Llamas and alpacas have been severely affected as their food source has been cut off by the deep snow.
The Bolivian government, which only has two helicopters, has asked for help from other countries to help drop aid to those stranded in freezing temperatures and heavy machinery to clear to the roads.
Bolivian authorities have ordered the rescue of a family of Dutch tourists isolated near the border with Chile due to deep snow, officials have said.
"A Dutch family is believed to be in Laguna Verde and they cannot leave because snow has shut down the roads," Felix Gonzalez, governor of Potosi, told AFP, the French news agency.
The BBC's correspondent in La Paz, Mattia Cabitza, said that, giving the vastness and isolation of the territory affected, it will be very difficult to clear the roads before the next snowstorms arrive.
The cold front that the west coast of South America is currently experiencing also brought snowfall to the driest place on earth last week.
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