Four people died Friday in Managua, capital of Nicaragua, and hundreds of people were evacuated to Mexico, authorities said Friday, due to heavy rains in several Central American countries.
The victims, three children aged 8, 9, 12 and their father, were killed when a wall of their house in Managua collapsed, caused by rainfall, according to a statement from the Nicaraguan government.
“Appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the safety of residents in the area,” he said.
The continuous rains recorded in almost the entire Nicaraguan territory on Friday caused rivers to overflow and floods in several cities.
In Mexico, hundreds of people were evacuated Friday in a city in the center of the country after heavy rains and a blocked drainage channel caused flooding, AFP journalists saw.
Residents of a neighborhood in Cuautitlan, Mexico State, had to leave their homes with their loved ones and a few belongings in their arms after water washed away their belongings.
Juan Manuel Cortés, a 56-year-old taxi driver, left his house flooded by more than a meter of water, accompanied by his wife, two children, grandson and two dogs, in one of the rescuers’ boats.
“I stayed to collect some items from the house, to save something because most of it was damaged,” Mr. Cortes told AFP.
Although flooding is common in this region during the rainy season, local residents and authorities have denounced the recent construction of a road and an industrial facility nearby, accusing it of having obstructed the drainage system and caused the latest floods.
In Guatemala, heavy rainfall was also reported on Friday, causing the collapse of access to a bridge on the Pan-American Highway, which connects the country to neighboring El Salvador.
The incident occurred during the passage of a truck loaded with goods, without causing any casualties, according to civil protection.
More than 30 people have died in the past two weeks in Central America due to heavy rains.
