Chile pull out of 2016 Dakar because of floods

Chile will not participate in the 2016 Dakar Rally because of damage caused by flooding in the north of the country which has hosted the race since 2008.
Chilean sports minister Natalia Riffo said that the decision had been made after consulting with Dakar Rally organisers ASO.
"In addition, there are communication problems ... which make the passage of the Dakar 2016 through Chile impossible," added Riffo.
The death toll from flash floods which have devastated Chile's normally arid north has risen to 26 and could increase further, with another 120 people still missing.
The Atacama region, home to the world's driest desert, and the neighboring city of Antofagasta, some 800km north of the capital Santiago, were deluged by heavy rains on March 24 that swept away thousands of homes, leaving thick layers of muck and tens of thousands of devastated residents in their wake.
Chile and Argentina are the two South American countries which have always hosted the rally since it pulled out of Africa in 2008 because of security reasons.
Peru and Bolivia have also hosted it.
Source: AFP