In pictures: Argentine town of Epecuen resurfaces

The Argentine town of Epecuen was once a bustling and popular lakeside resort, some 550km (340 miles) south of the capital Buenos Aires.

But a series of wet winters and a particularly heavy rainstorm caused the lake to flood its banks on 10 November 1985, with devastating consequences for the 1,500-population town.

Residents fled with what they could, but within days the town was buried beneath 10m (33ft) of corrosive saltwater.

Since 2009, the waters have been receding - exposing a dramatic, post-apocalyptic landscape that the Associated Press has captured in this set of photos.

The saltwaters of Lake Epecuen are famous for their therapeutic powers, and the town's baths and spas used to draw in as many as 20,000 tourists a season.

But these days tourists come to Epecuen for a different reason.

In the ruined streets and crumbled homes, there are reminders everywhere of the moment a town's daily life came to a quick and dramatic end.

One resident who refused to leave his home on the edge of the town in 1985 is happy to see the tourists return. "It's getting more people to the area, as they come to see the ruins," 82-year-old Pablo Novak said.