BUENOS AIRES – Some 25,000 people have been evacuated in northeastern Argentina due to flooding caused by the intense rains in recent days, authorities told EFE on Tuesday. The most heavily affected province is Entre Rios, where 17,800 people have had to leave their homes because of creeks overflowing their banks as a result of “too abundant” rainfall, a Civil Defense official told EFE. Authorities said that if the rain continues only intermittently and the creeks do not keep overflowing their banks, the situation could stabilize and “there are even families that will be able to return (to their homes) shortly,” although they added that the forecast “is not promising.” A rain and flooding alert has also been issued in the southern portion of Corrientes province, where the number of people who have been affected by the bad weather stands at about 5,000. Meanwhile, in the central province of Santa Fe, the number of evacuees remains at around 1,600 due primarily to the rising waters of the Parana River, the provincial office of Civil Protection confirmed to EFE. The situation in the region over the past several weeks has led the Argentine government to launch a widespread operation with more than 700 personnel from the security forces and a number of vehicles. Besides taking care of the local residents affected by the flooding, assorted supplies have been sent to help those who have suffered material losses, and measures have been implemented throughout the northeastern part of the country, but in particular in Entre Rios and Corrientes. Since the beginning of this year, different parts of Argentina have experienced episodes of flooding due to El Niño, a situation that intensified in late March. The most serious effects of the weather phenomenon were in the northeast, the area known as the “Litoral,” during the weeks around Christmas, when some 30,000 people had to be evacuated.