Dead and missing rise in El Salvador flooding

Floods and mudslides in El Salvador continue to claim lives. At least 124 people have died but with dozens missing, that number is expected to rise.

Homes have either collapsed or been swept away. Some of the remote rural regions are having to cope as best they can as torrential waters have cut communications.

A local police officer explained the situation: “What we need is some help from the army and the police to help the people. The weather continues to be bad and we already have a river running through the village due to this landslide and we are worried we will have another one.”

El Salvador is being battered by two extreme weather fronts, the main one being the passage of Hurricane Ida, which is now set for the Gulf of Mexico. The second is a low pressure system which has triggered days of heavy rain.

Although residents had been advised to evacuate areas likely to be hardest hit many had refused to leave.

With more than 7,000 people seeking refuge in temporary shelters, the authorities have declared a state of emergency in five regions.

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