Argentina has begun three days of national mourning for the victims of the devastating flooding in Bahía Blanca. The death toll rose to 16 over the weekend and could rise further as rescue teams continue their work, local authorities have said. The devastation was such that many buildings in the city and the nearby town of Cerri will need to be rebuilt entirely.

President Javier Milei declared the days of mourning in a decree published Monday. The Argentine flag will be flown at half mast in public buildings during that time.

The Economy Ministry has promised to transfer AR$10 billion (US$9.2 million at the official rate, US$8.2 million at the MEP rate) to “repair the damage and directly assist the process of rebuilding the city.”

The Argentine army has assisted the recovery effort, while the health ministry has provided ambulances and medicine. Days ago, Milei eliminated departments dedicated to disaster relief and other emergencies within the Human Capital Ministry.

Starting in the early hours of Friday, powerful storms dumped over 300 millimeters of rain on Bahía Blanca and Cerri, breaking records for rainfall and causing severe flooding. Images showed water rising to a depth of around 2 meters, with cars floating through the streets. The city’s Penna hospital was innundated, and nurses in its neonatal unit had to rescue newborn babies by wading through the flood carrying them out in their arms. Power to the city was cut as a safety measure.

The water drained over the weekend and local authorities say around half the city had electricity back by Sunday.

Among the missing are young sisters Delfina and Pilar Hecker, aged 1 and 5. Van driver Rubén Zalazar attempted to save the girls and their mother from their rapidly-flooding car by bringing them into his van and putting them on the roof. However, his vehicle, too, was swept away by the water. The girls’ mother survived, but Zalazar’s body was recovered on Sunday. 

Bahía Blanca is carrying out special health operations to provide essential medicine, vaccines, and mental health services to those who need them.

Local authorities confirmed the updated death toll in a social media post on Sunday afternoon. They added that 963 people remain evacuated.

The Bahía Blanca government is receiving donations of food, water, cleaning supplies, candles, blankets, towels, mattresses and other essentials. They are also receiving money donations in pesos via the bank alias BAHIAXBAHIA and from abroad Argentina via BAHIAXBAHIA.USD. These are registered under Bahía Blanca Municipality’s bank accounts. They are the only official accounts to which money can be donated.

In December 2023, a similar tragedy hit Bahía Blanca, when 13 people died after a building collapsed during a severe thunderstorm, which likewise severely damaged the city.