Uruguay floods kill 9, displace almost 8,000 people

MONTEVIDEO - At least nine people have been killed and 7,920 displaced by Tuesday in floods caused by severe storms that hit most parts of Uruguay, the National Emergency System (Sinae) said in a report.

The heavy rains, which started last week, caused "an important increase in river and stream flows," the Sinae said.

The red alert -- the highest level alert -- was in place until Tuesday morning in 13 of the country's departments.

Among the South American country's 19 departments, only the northern Tacuarembo department has yet to register any evacuations.

The worst affected department was Colonia in the southeast with 3,000 people displaced, followed by San Jose in the south with 1,250, Durazno in the south with 1,097 and Treinta y Tres in the east with 661.

In the capital city of Montevideo, 79 people were displaced.

The northwestern department of Salto had the largest amount -- 185 millimeters -- of rainfall in the last 24 hours, according to the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology.