Mexico/El Salvador
Hurricane Ida kills 124 in El Salvador, hits Gulf of Mexico
Article published on the 2009-11-09 Latest update 2009-11-09 08:56 TU
People work at a site damaged by heavy rains Sunday in Verapaz, about 71km east of San Salvador
(Photo: Reuters)
Hurricane Ida, which remained a category two storm, is crossing the Gulf of Mexico after brushing past Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. A hurricane warning has been issued for the northern Gulf coast from Pascagoula, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida.
Forecasters at the Miami-based US National Hurricane Centre said Ida carried top wind speeds of 165 kilometres per hour.
The tail-end of Ida coupled with a low pressure system in the Pacific caused heavy flooding in El Salvador, with President Mauricio Funes declaring a state of emergency.
Civil Defense chief Jorge Melendez said there could be more fatalities in the eastern regions of Verapaz and Tepetitan.
In Tepetitan, landslides and overflowing rivers carried away some 30 houses, authorities said. Some residents had agreed to evacuate the area, but a number refused to leave their homes, said mayor Ana Jovel.
In Verapaz, 114 kilometres south-east of the capital San Salvador, officials reported a raging torrent of mud, rocks and tree trunks ripping through a whole section of the town, burying houses and cars.
El Salvador has been on a state of alert since Thursday as heavy rains associated with Ida began to affect the region, destroying an estimated 930 homes and leaving some 13,000 people homeless in Nicaragua.
