Lima  - Torrential rains created havoc in 17 of Peru's 24 regions, leaving eight people dead and cutting off several towns from the rest of the country, officials said Friday.

Six people died in the northern region of Cajamarca and two others were killed in the Amazonas - both areas are on the Ecuadorian border.

Indeci, Peru's civil defence authority, said the downpour led to mudslides and rain-swollen rivers flowed over their banks, damaging roads and destroying agricultural land. (dpa)