"We have recovered 18 bodies, 16 adults and two children. All have been identified," police official Julia Rista said.

"The waters are going down, and we assume that more bodies will appear," she added.

About 40 percent of this city, 475 kilometers (295 miles) north of the capital, was covered by the floodwaters.

About a quarter of the city's 400,000 people have been directly hit by the disaster. Sixty thousand people have been evacuated from their homes.

Some 3,500 people are on security detail including federal and local officials. Helicopters have been patrolling the city after dark to prevent looting.

SPACE.WIRE