Torrential rain floods neighborhoods and streets of Santa Cruz and leaves serious damage

Images of the storm have gone viral on social networks. The Santa Cruz Mayor's Office set up a hotline 800 12 5050 to report emergencies. 

After two hours of torrential rain, the streets and avenues of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra turned into rivers. The intense rainfall collapsed the drainage channels causing risky situations for pedestrians, but also for vehicles, which were swept away and flooded.

The storm has left serious damage to public infrastructure and property in the city. The damage count has begun.  

An image of a person being swept away by the water current was disseminated in social networks, however no further information is known.

The Municipal Secretariat of Citizen Security and Supply of the Santa Cruz Mayor's Office set up a hotline 800 12 5050 to report emergencies.

Neighbors used social networks to report the damages in several neighborhoods of the capital city of Santa Cruz.

"It is dangerous to cross the bridge", said a pedestrian, who was walking in the middle of the flooded streets. It is known that public transportation stopped operating due to the risk posed by the force of the water.

In some images it was observed how some vehicles were swept away by the intense flow that formed in the avenues. Some vehicles fell into the canals. 

One of the images that has gone viral at this time is that of a driver who had to climb onto the roof of his car, which was almost submerged in water, in the vicinity of the Eagles School.

Meanwhile, in the northern area of the city, a crane ended up stuck in a drainage channel while trying to help different vehicles dragged by the water.

Police officers also reported that two puppies were rescued after they fell into the drainage channel and were swept away by the waters in the seventh ring.

"Due to the rains, 2 furry dogs fell into the drainage channel and were being swept away by the current. Upon noticing the fact, our police officers from the Integral Police Station No. 9 entered the channel and managed to rescue the 2 furry ones," read a publication of the law enforcement agency.