Peruvian authorities have launched helicopter evacuations to rescue dozens of people and vehicles left stranded for six days after heavy rains and landslides destroyed sections of the Southern Coastal Highway in the country's Arequipa region, in the far south of Peru.

The disaster is part of a broader wave of extreme weather linked to El Niño, the climate phenomenon caused by the abnormal warming of the Pacific Ocean, which disrupts rainfall patterns and can trigger both intense precipitation and droughts across Latin America. In Peru this week, the effects have been severe: the Inca Trail — one of the main routes to the iconic Incan citadel of Machu Picchu — was closed at least through Saturday due to landslides and overflowing rivers. Roads in both Arequipa and the neighbouring Moquegua region were also blocked. In the capital, Lima, dozens of homes were flooded, water and sewage services were disrupted, and authorities suspended classes in three southern districts.