124 dead in El Salvador floods
Monday, 9 November 2009 15:42
The death toll from flooding and mudslides in El Salvador has risen to 124.
The country has been on a state of alert since Thursday as heavy rains associated with Hurricane Ida began to affect the region, destroying an estimated 930 homes and leaving some 13,000 people homeless in Nicaragua.
Hurricane Ida did not strike El Salvador directly, but it brought heavy rain to the entire region. The storm is now crossing the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward the US.
Landslides and overflowing rivers in Tepetitan carried away some 30 houses.
In Verapaz, 114km southeast of the capital San Salvador, officials reported torrents of mud, rocks and tree trunks ripping through a whole section of the town, burying houses and cars.
Hurricane Ida weakened as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico and has been downgraded to a category one storm by the US National Hurricane Center.
It has caused no casualties or damage to infrastructure in the popular tourist resort city of Cancun.
However, forecasters warn that it could still create large waves and bring heavy rain to the area.
Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes has described the disaster as a tragedy, saying the damage sustained by the Central American country was 'incalculable'.
Torrential rains have also hit the neighbouring nations of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.
No major damage has been reported either in Honduras or Mexico, but about 100 homes have been damaged by flooding in Guatemala, prompting the evacuation of at least 200 people there.
- One News: Watch the video
