LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A landslide caused by heavy rains after a prolonged drought in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, flooded dozens of homes early Sunday, local authorities said. It swept away a young girl, spurred evacuations and left parts of the city without electricity.
Torrential rain on Saturday caused a river to spill its banks, dislodging mud from a southwestern La Paz neighborhood where low-slung, shoddily built dwellings dot the hillside.
The torrent of rocks and soil surged down a narrow ravine early Sunday, wrecking some two dozen homes and flooding another 40, said Juan Carlos Calvimontes, Bolivia's deputy civil defense minister.
“I lost my workshop and the cars that I had there are buried,” said auto mechanic Luis Mencias, his voice shaking as he surveyed the sea of debris.
Hours after the rain subsided, rescuers were still searching for a missing 5-year-old girl in the inundated neighborhood of Bajo Llojeta. Emergency workers trudged through the boot-sucking mud on Sunday, pulling at least six residents — suffering from hypothermia, their hair matted with sludge — from the collapsed hillside. Soldiers helped clear mud from the streets.
“My daughter was with her cousins when the mud came," said Grover Mendoza, the missing girl's father. “The neighbors rescued my nephews but my daughter was missing.”
The mayor of La Paz, Iván Arias, directly blamed the poor construction of houses perched on the hillside without permits.
“There are irresponsible people who destabilize the hillside and the rains drag it away, affecting the lower-lying neighborhoods,” he said.
In a visit to the site, President Luis Arce delivered aid to flood victims and vowed to hold people responsible for the illegal construction that exacerbated the damage.
“We are shocked by what happened,” he said. “This cannot be left like this. An investigation must be carried out."
The city of La Paz, nestled in a valley surrounded by high hills, is particularly prone to floods and landslides. Bolivia's rainy season is just starting after the nation suffered one of its most severe droughts in recent memory.
Homes are flooded by the overflowing Pasajahuira River in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Soldiers recover a piece of furniture from a home flooded by a landslide caused by heavy rains in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
MONACO (AP) — South Africa flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and England fullback Ellie Kildunne were named World Rugby's players of the year on Sunday.
Antoine Dupont was the best men's sevens player after helping France win the Olympic gold medal.
Du Toit, also the 2019 winner, became only the fourth men's player to win the award at least twice, after New Zealanders Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Beauden Barrett.
Despite the Springboks' policy of rotation, Du Toit showed his immense value by appearing in 10 of their 13 tests, and played the full game in eight of them. The double World Cup winner helped the Springboks win their first Rugby Championship since 2019 and achieve a first unbeaten autumn tour of Europe in 11 years.
He missed Saturday's tour-ending win against Wales in Cardiff because of a shoulder issue.
Du Toit was crowned ahead of teammates Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe, and Ireland captain Caelan Doris.
Kildunne's award capped an impressive year in which she was also the Women's Six Nations best player.
In an unbeaten year with England, she won a Six Nations Grand Slam, retained the WXV1 title and scored 14 tries in 10 tests. She also had time to help Britain in the Paris Olympics sevens.
Also nominated were teammate and No. 8 Alex Matthews, France scrumhalf Pauline Bourdon Sansus and Canada flyhalf Alex Tessier.
Kildunne was the fourth England winner in the last five awards.
Erin King became the first Irishwoman to win an individual award when she was chosen the women's breakthrough player of the year.
King also went to the Olympics, and made her 15s debut only in September, when the back-rower helped Ireland finish second in the WXV1 after an historic win over world champion New Zealand.
All Blacks flanker Wallace Sititi was the men's breakthrough player. Sititi, the son of former Samoa captain Semo Sititi, debuted off the bench against Fiji in July, and made a huge impression in his first test start against South Africa in Cape Town in September, on his 22nd birthday. He was undroppable from then on; starting all seven remaining tests. He was the only All Black to start all five on their tour of Japan and Europe.
The coach of the year was Jerome Daret, for guiding the France men's sevens team to a first Olympic gold medal and first world series title. The France men, thanks to the injection of Dupont, had never previously medaled in the Olympics — didn't even qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games — and its best previous finish in world series history was fourth.
Dupont skipped the Six Nations to prepare for the Olympic sevens, and lived up to his billing. He scored two tries in the final against defending champion Fiji.
Australia's Maddison Levi was the best women's sevens player. She scored 69 tries in the world series and another 14 at the Olympics.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
France's Antoine Dupont runs during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
FILE - England's Ellie Kildunne, left, and Canada's Julia Schell, right, vie for the the ball during the WXV 1 women's rugby union tournament, in Vancouver, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - South Africa's Pieter-Steph du Toit, center, is challenged by Ireland's Bundee Aki, right, during a test match between South Africa and Ireland at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
South Africa's Pieter-Steph du Toit goes over the line to score a try during the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between England and South Africa, at Twickenham, in London, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
