13 killed as heavy downpour rocks Central America

Thirteen people have died as a result of flooding and landslides in El Salvador and Guatemala as heavy rains continue to fall in Central America, according to officials from both countries.

El Salvador, the hardest devastated country so far, lost five people Monday in a landslip in the western district of Tacuba, in the Ahuachapan department, according to Civil Defence chief Luis Amaya.

Those deaths follow two fatalities recorded on Sunday after a tree and a pole fell on a car that was travelling on a highway in the capital.

Another four people were killed in flooding and landslides between Friday and Sunday, Amaya added.

On Sunday, Congress approved a state of emergency to facilitate the mobilisation of resources.

President Nayib Bukele said on X that he had asked Congress to make Tuesday a federal holiday to avoid commutes and “reduce the risk of tragedies.”

Rains have been slamming both countries since Saturday.

In Guatemala, a 59-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man died on Sunday in the village of Chacaya, in the western municipality of Sacapulas, when they were buried by a collapsed wall, authorities said.

Dozens to hundreds die each year in Central America as the rainy season leaves extensive damage to countries’ infrastructure.

Additionally, the death toll from a landslide in Ecuador rose from six to seven people, with 22 others injured, authorities said Monday.

The landslide was triggered by heavy rains in the tourist Tungurahua province in southern Ecuador.

AFP