At least five dead in South America cold snap

Terra Daily via AFP: At least five people have died due to a cold snap in South America, which has also killed thousands of cattle and damaged crops, authorities said Wednesday. In Bolivia, heavy snowfall claimed at least three lives and thousands of families were reeling from a sudden dip in temperatures over the past week, according to regional officials.

Two of the dead were farmers who perished in the high up Ancomilla region of the department of Potosi, according to local mayor Jaime Choque. Bolivia's Social Defense Ministry ministry said on Tuesday that an earlier victim died trying to save their livestock in the village of Huayllas in the central region of Cochabamba.

Four of the Andean nation's nine departments have suffered bad weather, leaving roads blocked and thousands affected. An official report Tuesday said the snow had hit 15 municipalities, affecting almost 3,500 families.

In neighboring Paraguay, two people died from hypothermia due to the chill that has also killed 4,000 cattle and affected 30 percent of the country's wheat crops, according to official reports released Wednesday....

Panoramic view shows the mountainous scenery of Chile’s Chajnantor Plateau, with snow and ice scattered over the barren terrain. The main peaks from right to left are Cerro Chajnantor, Cerro Toco, Juriques, and the distinctive conical volcano Licancabur. Also barely visible is the ALMA astronomy facility. Shot by ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license