Major fires again after worst drought in 60 years in South America

The drought that has been affecting Latin America for weeks has contributed to the outbreak of several major fires in Colombia and its neighboring countries.

On Sunday, Colombia’s fire service said it was battling forest fires in seven departments.

Firefighters fight the flames, here in a national park near Brasilia.Image: keystone

Almost 11,000 hectares of land have already burned. Some of the affected regions border Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, which are also battling fires.

Many Latin American countries are currently suffering from the worst drought in decades. In Ecuador, electricity was temporarily cut off in twelve provinces on Sunday. The government has ordered daily rationing of energy supplies as the hydroelectric-dependent country faces the worst drought in more than 60 years – there has been no rain for more than 70 days.

Colombia (pictured), Ecuador and Peru are also unfortunately affected by fires.Image: keystone

The Peruvian government, for its part, declared a state of emergency a few days ago for the three areas of the country most affected by the fires. These are jungle regions on the border with Brazil and Ecuador. (sda/afp)

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