TEGUCIGALPA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least 357,339 people felt the impact of Hurricane Iota as it passed through Honduras, the Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) said Wednesday.
In a preliminary report of the damage caused by Iota, which reached El Salvador in the early hours of the day as a tropical depression, the agency said 61,228 people had been forced to evacuate to 750 shelters.
Heavy rains caused 42 rivers and streams to overflow, damaged two bridges and cut off two towns, while sparking four large-scale landslides and 31 road collapses, and flooding or damaging some 7,078 houses, leaving two homes completely destroyed.
The COPECO did not specify the number of deaths caused by the storm, but local media have reported three so far based on regional reports from relief agencies.
COPECO said it would maintain a nationwide red alert, issued on Nov. 15, indefinitely, as potential landslides continued to present a danger. Enditem
