At least 20 people have died in Bolivia in a little over two months due to heavy rains and floods in seven of the country's nine departments, Deputy Civil Defense Minister Juan Carlos Calvimontes said Tuesday.

Between November 20, 2023 and January 2024, excessive rainfall, hailstorms and frosts have wreaked havoc in 41 municipalities and 154 communities, with the western department of La Paz the hardest hit, with 14 municipalities and 63 communities affected, the official said at a press conference.