Recent torrential rains in El Salvador have resulted in a devastating toll, with the deaths of six individuals reported on Friday. Among the victims were two young girls, aged 5 and 7, along with four adults who tragically lost their lives after being buried in their homes due to wall collapses and landslides on the outskirts of the capital.
The inclement weather has been attributed to two weather systems affecting the region. One system along Guatemala's Pacific coast and another in the Gulf of Mexico, which gave rise to Tropical Storm Alberto, have brought heavy rains to southern Mexico and Central America.
In response to the severity of the situation, the Civil Protection authorities in El Salvador have issued a red alert, prompting the country's Congress to declare a state of national emergency for 15 days.
Civil Protection officials have been actively engaged in rescue operations, with a focus on alerting residents to the risks of landslides and wall collapses due to the accumulation of water. Tragically, the bodies of the two young girls were recovered after a wall collapsed on their home, while their parents were rescued and taken to a local hospital.
Further casualties were reported in rural areas surrounding San Salvador, with two elderly individuals in the Panchimalco district and two others in the Planes de Renderos area losing their lives due to collapsing walls at their residences.
The director of Civil Protection, Luis Alonso Amaya, provided an update on the situation, indicating that over 1,500 incidents have been addressed, resulting in 19 fatalities, 706 fallen trees, and 521 temporarily blocked roads. Tragically, three individuals lost their lives due to falling trees.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has warned of continued heavy rains across the country, with the potential formation of a second tropical depression in the southwest Gulf of Mexico. This weather system is expected to bring additional moisture from the Pacific Ocean, exacerbating the situation in El Salvador.
Salvadoran authorities have taken proactive measures by setting up 150 shelters to accommodate over 6,000 individuals nationwide. Currently, 82 shelters are operational, providing refuge to 2,582 people, including 1,212 minors.
