El Niño transforms Atacama desert as thousands of hectares burst into bloom

The Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, has changed appearance after heavy rains in northern Chile. Vast stretches of land that are normally parched have been carpeted with violet and white blossoms in a natural phenomenon known as the "flowering desert". Under the Atacama's soil, seeds and bulbs from around 200 different species lie dormant for long periods, waiting for the right conditions to germinate. Rainfall linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon has allowed many of them to bloom. The result has transformed parts of the desert landscape and drawn large numbers of visitors, who stop to photograph the unusual flowering. Rainfall has been particularly heavy this season.