At least 10 dead in Panama floods

At least 10 dead in Panama floods

2010-12-10 08:04:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (BNO NEW) — At least 10 people have died and thousands of people have been affected as heavy rains in Panama temporarily closed the country's canal and caused a devastating landslide, officials said Thursday.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli confirmed that 8 people had been buried during a landslide in Portobelo, a small town of around 3,000 people which is also known as Colon and where rains had not stopped in over 60 hours, as authorities shut down the Panama Canal for the first time since 1989 during a U.S. military invasion.

On Tuesday, two people drowned in the Bayano River, which brings the death toll to 10.

Panama's National System of Civil Protection said 4,097 people have been affected by the harsh weather, which has damaged 962 houses, 412 of them being completely destroyed. Officials said 390 of the houses are located in the Chepo sector, while 19 are in Kuna Yala, and 3 in Portobelo.

As reports of flooding continue to be reported, government officials have opened temporary camps in schools in the district of Arraijan; in east Santa Isabel and Jose Gabriel Duque in Panama City; Jacobo Urriola in Portobelo; and in El Salto school in Darien.

According to weather forecasts, rain is expected to continue in the eastern and central regions of the country until Friday.

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