Floods leave over 100 dead in El Salvador
At least 124 people killed in El Salvador in flooding
Monday, 09, Nov 2009 08:48
By Richard James.
At least 124 people have been killed in El Salvador in flooding and mudslides triggered by Hurricane Ida.
The country's government has claimed more than 60 people remain missing, with president Mauricio Funes declaring a national emergency.
Local reports suggest the capital San Salvador and the central San Vicente province were the worst-hit regions.
As the death toll continues to rise on Monday, officials claim around 7,000 people have fled their homes and are currently being housed in make-shift shelters.
Ida passed to the east of El Salvador three days ago but is not believed to be directly responsible for the severe rains.
The hurricane has now strengthened to a category two storm and is making its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The governor of Louisiana has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm.
The impact in El Salvador has been described by Mr Funes as "incalculable", declaring the devastation a "tragedy".
The continuing rain through the weekend led to wide-scale flooding and disastrous mudslides burying numerous houses and buildings.
A policeman in San Vicente province told the Associated Press news agency: "The weather continues to be bad, and we already have a river flowing through the village due to a landslide.
"We are worried things will get worse if the rains continue."