85 pct of Bolivian towns on alert due to downpours

LA PAZ, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Most of Bolivia is on alert due to torrential rains that have left 85 percent of its municipalities at risk of flooding and other natural disasters, Deputy Civil Defense Minister Juan Carlos Calvimontes warned Sunday.

With the alert activated Sunday in all of the nine departments of the South American country, the government urged local authorities to be prepared to respond to possibl