Eta wreaks 'shocking' Central America devastation, death toll surges
Source: Reuters
NOVEMBER 5, 2020 11:19 AM UPDATED 20 MINUTES AGO
Eta wreaks 'shocking' Central America devastation, death toll surges
By Gustavo Palencia, Sofia Menchu
4 MIN READ
TEGUCIGALPA/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The remnants of Hurricane Eta unleashed torrential rains and catastrophic flooding on Central America, with fatalities sharply up on Thursday as streets turned into rivers and dozens more were feared to be buried in their homes by mudslides.
In Guatemala, the death toll shot up past 50 over the course of the day, according to President Alejandro Giammattei, who said mudslides around the town of San Cristobal Verapaz had swallowed about 25 homes.
“Right now, we’re trying to get there on foot because there’s no other way,” said Giammattei, referring to flooded out roads near the town, located about 120 miles (193 km) north of the Guatemalan capital.
In neighboring Honduras, families waded through flooded streets of the northern city of San Pedro Sula, while cars sat almost submerged in parts of the central Guatemalan city of San Pedro Carcha, television footage and images posted on social media showed.
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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-eta/eta-wreaks-shocking-central-america-devastation-death-toll-surges-idUSKBN27L2EM
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By Mallika Kallingal, CNN
Updated 2:25 AM ET, Fri November 6, 2020
People walk through flooded streets after Eta slammed into the Honduras.
(CNN)Tropical Depression Eta has reentered the Caribbean Sea and is on its way to Cuba but left in its wake terrible destruction and devastation in Guatemala and the Honduras.
At least 50 people are dead in Guatemala due to landslides and flooding caused by the storm, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said late Thursday.
The scenes out of the country are heartbreaking. People leaving their flooded homes, walking to safety in waist deep water, some carrying the few belongings they were able to save. In Puerto Barrios, a man was seen carrying a dog to safety in the floodwaters, while others were sitting on higher ground outside their flooded homes.
"This morning we counted four deaths; That figure has now risen to over 50 deaths due to the mudslides happening in the area of Huehuetenango and San Cristóbal," Giammattei said.
More:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/06/us/tropical-depression-eta-friday/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29
A submerged evangelical church is seen along a flooded street during the passage of storm Eta, in Pimienta, Honduras [Jorge Cabrera/Reuters]
So much struggle for people whose lives were hard already.
