Tropical depression kills at least 16 in Guatemala

[News_Editor]

Tropical depression kills at least 16 in Guatemala

2011-10-13 08:33:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

GUATEMALA CITY (BNO NEWS) -- At least sixteen people were killed on Wednesday when torrential rains from a tropical depression hit several regions of Guatemala, officials said. The death toll is expected to rise.

Tropical Depression 12-E formed near the Mexico-Guatemala border on early Wednesday morning, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Salina Cruz in Mexico, triggering Guatemala's National Disaster Reduction Coordination Center to activate a nationwide red alert.

The heavy rainfall began on Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday, causing landslides, overflowing rivers, and accidents. The depression is expected to weaken and dissipate on Wednesday evening, forecasters said, but the harsh weather is expected to continue into Thursday.

Among the 16 confirmed deaths in Guatemala, four were electrocuted and one was buried in the municipality of Almolonga in the Quetzaltenango department. Several others died after their homes collapsed, while rescue workers recovered a couple of bodies from a river in Chiquimulilla, a municipality in the Santa Rosa department.

The most affected regions include Quetzaltenango, Santa Rosa, Jutiapa, and Totonicapan, as well as other scattered areas in the country. More than 130,000 people in Guatemala have been affected by the severe weather, but there were no immediate reports of casualties from Mexico.

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, who offered his condolences, has called on residents around the country to be extra careful.

Twelve-E is the twelfth storm of the 2011 Eastern Pacific hurricane season, following Hurricane Irwin which remains active as a tropical storm about 415 miles (670 kilometers) south of the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico.

According to figures released in May, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is expecting a below normal hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific this year. The outlook calls for 9 to 15 named storms, with five to eight becoming hurricanes and one to three expected to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher).

An average Eastern Pacific hurricane season produces 15 to 16 named storms, with eight to nine becoming hurricanes and four becoming major hurricanes. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30, with peak activity from July through September.

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