Paraguay worst-hit by floods in LatAm

Paraguay has been the worst-hit of four Latin American countries grappling with severe floods unleashed by this year's El Nino weather phenomenon, media reported Monday.

"Paraguay is the country most affected, with some 100,000 people displaced from their homes in the capital Asuncion alone," the Daily Paraguay said on its website.

In all, some 150,000 people in South America have been evacuated to temporary shelters, including those in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

One of the region's main rivers, the Paraguay, has risen to record levels following days of torrential rains.

On Monday the river was reported to be 7.84 meters above its normal level, and could reach 8 meters in coming days before subsiding, the daily said.

Argentina on Monday launched the Federal Emergency System to attend to the affected communities.

Some 20,000 have been evacuated so far from low-lying areas, Interior Minister Rogelio Frigerio said.

He also announced a project to build two aqueducts in flood-ravaged Concordia, a city in the northeastern province of Entre Rios, to divert the excess water.

In Brazil, six people were reported dead in a mudslide sparked by heavy rains in Sao Paulo.

The victims died when their homes were destroyed on Saturday night. Three others were rescued in the same incident, civil defense officials said. Endi