Peru is undergoing devastating floods which forecasts suggest could continue until May.

The Civil Protection Agency of Peru reports: 97 people have died, 184,112 people are affected, 30,184 houses were destroyed with more than 180,000 damaged, 232 bridges have been destroyed, 1596 kilometres of road were destroyed, and 35,597 hectares of crops have been lost.

The flooding is the result of a local El Niño weather system which has brought torrential rain to northern Peru since early March.

The cities of Piura, Trujillo and Chiclayo are among those worst affected, but estimates suggest that 800 villages have also been destroyed. The floods have caused mudflows to sweep into some cities, bringing further disruption.

The flood situation was made worse on 26 March, after the Piura River burst its banks, raising the water levels to 1.8 metres in some locations such as the town of Catacaos.