The authorities of Panama this Sunday raised the number of deaths to four, kept the number missing at two and put the number of families affected at 210 by the intense rains that have hit the Central American country since last night and which are expected to become a tropical cyclone.
The National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) detailed that the victims are a young student from the Ngabe Buglé region, a two-year-old girl who was crossing a river with her mother, and a man who was “surprised” by a head of water.
Furthermore, among those deceased is a Police commissioner who lost his life while working in the areas affected by the floods rescuing those affected.
“My sincere condolences to the family and colleagues of @ProtegeryServir Major Isaac Cano, who died in Veraguas serving the Homeland. RIP,” wrote the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, in X.
The missing are two adult men, approximately 50 years old, who were hiking in Chiriquí, the border with Costa Rica, and the rescue services are looking for them.
The Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama reported that “the Panamanian territory will continue to register abundant rains with storms and winds, as a result of the indirect effects generated by Tropical Disturbance AL97” at least until next Tuesday, after the intense rainfall will begin during the night. on Saturday.
He also warned that there is a “high probability of being declared a Tropical Cyclone during the day.”
The maximum accumulated rainfall per day will range, according to forecasts, between 70 and 259 millimeters or liters of water per square meter, while the winds will be of South or Pacific origin, with speeds between 10 and 30 kilometers per hour and gusts of 40 and 60 kilometers hour.
The rains and winds are more intense in the north of the country and over the Caribbean. Specifically, Sinaproc activated a “red alert” in the provinces of Bocas del Toro (Caribbean), Chiriquí (border with Costa Rica), Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos (center) while the rest of the country remains on “yellow alert.” ”.
The most affected provinces are Veraguas and Chiriquí, where authorities have installed temporary shelters for affected people.
Due to these intense rains, landslides, floods, bridge collapses, river floods and fallen trees have been reported, so authorities recommend avoiding driving at high speeds; keep an eye on children, older adults and people with disabilities and “under no circumstances” cross swollen rivers or walk along their banks.
The intense rains have forced the cancellation of the traditional parades for the “national holidays”, a set of days that commemorate historical events, in the central and northern provinces of the country.
(With information from EFE).
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