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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

2 clusters · 34 sources · 3 days · First seen 9 days ago · Last updated 6 days ago

Categories: INTERNATIONAL · CULTURE

Iguazu and Uruguay River Floods

Entities: Garganta del Diablo circuit · Concordia (Argentina) · Costanera · CECOED Salto · Iguazú National Park

Overview

The flooding that began on 23 July 2026 with a surge in the Iguazú River has persisted through late July, repeatedly raising river levels across the southern Brazil‑Argentina basin.

The Garganta del Diablo circuit in Iguazú National Park was closed on 22 July after the river peaked at about 7,500 m³/s—roughly five times normal flow—and remained shut until 27 July, when discharge fell to 6,370 m³/s and authorities reopened the main tourist attraction.

In parallel, the Uruguay River continued to rise in Concordia, prompting renewed Costanera restrictions and a state of evacuation for the border town of Garruchos. Emergency response actions included accelerated contingency planning by CECOED Salto in Uruguay, activation of provincial emergency plans in Misiones, and the preparation of evacuation centres. The Argentine Naval Prefecture reported water levels of 9.46 m in Alvear and 9.29 m in La Cruz, urging residents to avoid navigation.

Tourism in Puerto Iguazú rebounded strongly in July, with hotel occupancy averaging 83 % and more than 143 000 visitors to Parque Nacional Iguazú. Anticipating further flooding, the concessionaire Iguazú Argentina S.A. has requested permission to dismantle the metal walkways of the Devil’s Throat circuit. The removal is slated to begin on 3 August, with structures to be stored at a nearby railway station and re‑installed after river levels recede. Brazilian monitoring agencies warn that elevated flows in September‑October could trigger extraordinary floods, reinforcing the pre‑emptive measures.

Overall, the situation reflects an ongoing flood threat driven by heavy rains and El Niño conditions, with repeated infrastructure closures, evacuations, preventative actions, and heightened monitoring across the affected river basins.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 5 SOURCES] Jujuy recorded 503,246 overnight stays during the July winter vacation period. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] 162,524 tourists visited Jujuy during the same period. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] The average occupancy rate across Jujuy was 78.9% during the vacation. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] Average stay per tourist was 3.1 nights. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] Economic impact of the tourism season exceeded 65.454 billion Argentine pesos. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] The Quebrada region had the highest occupancy at 87.54% among Jujuy’s regions. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] Purmamarca recorded the highest local occupancy at 91.2% during the period. (official tourism balance)
[● 5 SOURCES] Minister of Culture and Tourism Federico Posadas said July confirms Jujuy as a preferred destination. (minister quote)
[● 4 SOURCES] The Garganta del Diablo circuit was closed on 22 July due to a rapid rise of the Iguazú River. (6e2cc143-6543-4047-80fc-582759aead4b)
[● 2 SOURCES] The circuit reopened on 27 July after river flow stabilized at 6,370 m³/s. (df82d7a8-ff76-45e6-a68f-36338b25714c)
[● 2 SOURCES] The Uruguay River began overflowing in Concordia, prompting restrictions on Costanera sectors. (94066169-f22b-46d2-bf7f-6c6eec67be04)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Iguazú River reached about 7,500 m³/s, roughly five times its normal flow. (cb367e0d-7c08-45ab-9e1d-9ca80001b887)

Timeline

6 days ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 19 sources
Flooding of Iguazú and Uruguay Rivers Spurs Evacuations and Site Closures
Rising Iguazú and Uruguay rivers forced closures of the Garganta del Diablo tourist circuit, Costanera restrictions, and evacuations in Garruchos, while emergency plans were accelerated in Misiones and Salto.
9 days ago

[CULTURE] 17 sources
Iguazu River surge forces closure of Garganta del Diablo walkway
Iguazu River’s flow surged to ~9 million L/s, six times normal, prompting closure of the Garganta del Diablo walkway on both Brazil and Argentina sides; other trails stay open, and reopening awaits lower water‑

Sources

7paginas.com.ar · argentinaforestal.com · ballstriking.com · cableinformacion.com.ar · chacodiapordia.com · chaconoticias.com.ar · clickfozdoiguacu.com.br · cuestionentrerriana.com.ar · datoposta.com · derf.com.ar · dev.tnonline.com.br · diarioellibertador.com.ar · diariojunio.com.ar · diariopanorama.com · economis.com.ar · elacontecer.com.uy · elciudadanoweb.com · eldiadegualeguay.com · ellitoral.com.ar · filo.news · fmpowermax.com.ar · goya.tucorrientes.com · infodia.com.ar · inmagazine.ig.com.br · miradorprovincial.com · misionfmayolas.com · redesdenoticias.com.ar · revista100fronteiras.com.br · sanluis24.com.ar · sitiosargentina.com.ar · spnoticias.com.ar · sport.ard.de · tempo.com · tribunapr.com.br

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history