2023-10-30 22:24:02
SAN SALVADOIR (AP) — At least two people have died in El Salvador, swept away by rising rivers due to torrential rains as Tropical Storm Pilar approaches the coast, Civil Protection authorities reported on Monday.
The deputy director of the General Directorate of Civil Protection, Fermín Pérez, confirmed to journalists that the deceased are a man and a woman who were swept away by rivers on Sunday in the department of La Unión, in the east of the country. Their lifeless bodies were located Monday morning.
The man was identified as Mario Salomón Villatoro, 24 years old, and he was carried away by the current in the Caserío Upire ravine, in the Montuca canton, jurisdiction of Nueva Esparta, La Unión, while in the case of the woman, identified as Candelaria Hernández, 57 years old, the incident occurred in the Los Cedros de Anamorós canton, also in the department of La Unión.
“We ask to avoid crossing rivers or any water current that is generated due to rain or storms following these, due to the drag,” Pérez said at a press conference.
Tropical Storm Pilar was threatening to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to El Salvador and other parts of Central America as it was off the Pacific coast on Monday.
The United States National Hurricane Center reported that Pilar was located regarding 360 kilometers southwest of San Salvador with winds of 85 kilometers per hour and was moving from the east-northeast at 9 kilometers per hour.
The storm is expected to maintain that general path for a day or two, pause for a day or more just off the coast and then turn abruptly and return to the sea without making landfall, according to the US center.
The Threat Observatory of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador (MARN) indicated that, although the trajectory of “Pilar” is towards the Salvadoran coast, there is high pressure that will push a cold front reaching the north of Yucatán from Tuesday and Wednesday.
This frontal system will limit the advance of Tropical Storm Pilar, causing it to retreat towards Pacific waters, the report indicates.
“The combination of winds from tropical storm Pilar and the North Winds will accelerate the wind, generating intensities in high areas of the volcanic mountain range, occasionally exceeding 50 kilometers per hour, and in sectors of the coast and offshore varying from 40 to 90 kilometers per hour,” added the MARN report.
On Sunday, authorities in El Salvador issued a red alert due to the rains associated with Pilar.
At the request of President Nayib Bukele, the Salvadoran Congress declared a national emergency due to the risk or danger of the disaster for people, their property, public services and the ecosystem.
The decree empowers the General Directorate of Civil Protection to order the mandatory evacuation of the population at risk, which implies the “use of the necessary coercive mechanisms in order to protect the right to life.”
The Ministry of Education suspended in-person and virtual classes and other academic activities nationwide until Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Juan Carlos Bidegain, reported that 100 shelters were installed to serve the population that needs protection.
The Salvadoran authorities indicated that artisanal, industrial and sport fishing, as well as recreational activities in rivers, beaches and lakes, are suspended until Wednesday.
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