The storm that hit Nicaragua as a mighty Category-4 hurricane on Tuesday had become more of a vast tropical rainstorm on Thursday, but it was advancing so slowly and dumping so much rain that much of Central America remained on high alert.
Forecasters said the now-tropical depression was expected to regather strength and head towards Cuba and possibly the Gulf of Mexico by early next week.
The remnants of Hurricane Eta unleashed torrential rains and catastrophic flooding on Central America, with fatalities sharply up on Thursday mostly because of mudslides as streets turned into rivers and bridges came tumbling down.
ReplyDeleteMore than 70 people were reported killed across the region of mostly poor countries wedged between Mexico and Colombia, and at least hundreds were stranded on rooftops or cut off by floods.
Tropical Storm Eta has weakened to a tropical depression, but forecasters say it will regain strength once it reaches the Gulf of Mexico and moves toward the southeastern United States.
ReplyDeleteAt least 50 people have been killed by landslides in Guatemala after Storm Eta's torrential rain and high winds battered the Central American country.
ReplyDeleteGuatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said around half the deaths were in a single town where a hillside collapse buried some 20 houses under thick mud.
Eta made landfall in neighbouring Nicaragua as a hurricane on Tuesday.
It was later downgraded to a tropical storm.
Mr Giammattei said a month's worth of rain had fallen in less than half a day during an impromptu press conference on Thursday.
Ongoing heavy rain has left rescue workers unable to reach one of the worst-affected areas, including the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, which is home to half of the reported casualties.