Bolivian soldiers rescue a family that was surrounded by lizards from a river

In an “extraordinary” operation, soldiers from the Bolivian Air Force (FAB) rescued a family that was sailing aimlessly and was surrounded by lizards in the eastern region of Santa Cruz, one of the most affected by the floods, reported this Tuesday a official source.

The event was registered in the Santa Cruz municipality of The bridge, whose leaders contacted the national authorities to alert that some families were trapped by the floods “and in desperation they used canoes to get out of there”said the Vice Minister of Civil Defense, Juan Carlos Calvimontes.

On a flyby in a Super Puma helicopter on Monday a family of five people was detected “and around them there were any number of large lizards”Calvimontes said, quoted in a press release from the Vice Ministry of Communication.

“It was impressive to see them from the air, they were completely ordered, we had to find a suitable place for the Super Puma to land since we could not do the rescue from the air for fear that the force of the propellers would turn the canoe”, he stated.

Calvimontes highlighted the “courage of this family” Y “How in the midst of so many lizards they came paddling tirelessly, desperate to find a place with land”, according to the note.

The authority indicated that so far this was the most “impressive” and dramatic operation carried out by the FAB and specified that there are already 79 people who were trapped in the middle of the floods and who were rescued.

Santa Cruz, the largest region and economic engine of BoliviaIt is one of the most affected by the flooding of rivers due to the intense rains in the country.

According to Calvimontes, the priority at the moment is the rescue tasks of people isolated by the floods, especially in the Santa Cruz region.

A report given over the weekend by Civil Defense reported thirteen deaths and more than 9,000 families among those affected and affected by the rains in seven of the nine Bolivian departments since November.

The rainy season in the country usually begins in November and normally lasts until March, with greater intensity in January and February, although this time the strong storms came before December.

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