At least 30 people die from the torrential rains that hit Central America

The storms and heavy rains that have hit Central America since last weekend have claimed at least 30 lives and forced thousands of people to evacuate, while constant downpours flood rivers, destroy homes, cause landslides and isolate entire communities. .

In El Salvador, The number of deceased people amounts to 19six of them minors, while 3,087 remain in shelters, the director of Civil Protection reported on Friday.

“People’s lives must be saved. Material goods will come in other times, we will look for a solution,” Amaya told reporters. The authorities have declared a red and orange alert in different parts of the country, expecting more rain in the coming hours.

In Guatemala, the death toll stands at 10, nearly 11,000 people have been evacuated, some 380 remain in temporary shelters and 300 homes are reported to have suffered severe damage, as well as the destruction of four bridges.

Neighboring Honduras reported one death and more than 1,200 people evacuated (about 300 in the last 24 hours). The rains there have isolated 180 communities and destroyed 22 houses, authorities added.

In Mexico, about 80 people were evacuated from a children’s hospital in the southern state of Oaxaca on Thursday, but the rains also brought the start of the long-awaited recovery of drought-affected dams nationwide, currently at around a third of their capacity. ability.

The rains were due to low pressure troughs and a monsoon trough that brought in humid air, according to meteorologists. The system gained strength from the remains of Alberto, the first named tropical storm of the hurricane season, which left at least four dead in the north of the country this week.

The US National Hurricane Center has predicted that heavy rain would continue through Friday in southern Mexico and northern Central America, causing thunderstorms and downpours as far south as Costa Rica and Panama over the weekend.

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