Army General Hernan Olmos, who is heading up rescue efforts, told reporters that three children and one adult had been killed in Santa Fe province in the floods.

And officials said a fifth person drowned Tuesday night in neighboring Entre Rios province in the swollen river.

Thousands fled their homes in Santa Fe and Entre Rios because of the flooding, caused by torrential rains.

One-third of Santa Fe province -- Argentina's third-largest, with some 2.9 million residents -- is underwater, provincial Governor Carlos Reutemann told reporters.

Civil Defence said the flooding was the worst in 100 years.

Officials said attempts had been made to loot parts of Santa Fe's La Florida and Santa Rosa districts.

According to Duhalde, the situation is a "national catastrophe." But, he vowed: "Not a single province will be left by the government to its own devices.

The president announced a relief package worth 2.43 million dollars and a shipment of 40,000 boxes of food. He assured Santa Fe that emergency aid will be followed by funding for reconstruction.

Duhalde rejected the notion that the critical situation was due to a lack of preparation, saying "there is no system that can anticipate events that happen every 400 years."

But while some 550 millimeters (21.6 inches) have fallen in the past five days alone, according to head of the province's emergency committee Carlos Alberto Carranza, in the past four months another 1,500 millimetersinches) have also fallen.

Farmers' losses in the agriculturally rich region known for its soya and cattle were estimated at more than 200 million dollars and many families had to spend the night in area schools and government buildings.

The floods have wiped out at least one bridge, cut the water and power supply to many homes and virtually shut off access to the city from local highways, according to local officials.

In the Centenario district of modest, one-storey homes, muddy waters reached halfway up the front doors. Hundreds tried to salvage their modest possessions by ferrying them away in makeshift boats, rafts and kayaks.

One man in water up to his neck was seen here, pushing along a door serving as a raft for a sleeping dog, while others were afraid to abandon their homes, fearing looters.

Some 300 militarized police have been dispatched to the area to help victims of the floods, protect property and maintain order.

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