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Weakened Eta Drenches Central America; at Least 57 Dead

Associated Press

   SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS - The rain-heavy remnants of Hurricane Eta
   flooded homes from Panama to Guatemala Thursday as the death toll
   across Central America rose to 57, and aid organizations warned the
   flooding and mudslides were creating a slow-moving humanitarian
   disaster across the region.

   The storm that hit Nicaragua as a mighty Category 4 hurricane on
   Tuesday had become more of a vast tropical rainstorm, but it was
   advancing so slowly and dumping so much rain that much of Central
   America remained on high alert. Forecasters said the now-tropical
   depression was expected to regather and head toward Cuba and possibly
   the Gulf of Mexico by early next week.

   On Thursday afternoon, Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei said a
   water-soaked mountainside in the central part of the country had slid
   down onto the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, burying homes and leaving
   at least 25 dead.

   Two other slides in Huehuetenango had killed at least 12 more, he said.
   Earlier Thursday, five others had been killed in smaller slides in
   Guatemala.

   Giammattei said on that 60% of the eastern city of Puerto Barrios was
   flooded and 48 more hours of rain was expected.

   Guatemala's toll was on top of 13 victims in Honduras and two in
   Nicaragua. Panamanian authorities reported eight missing.

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