Heavy rains in Guatemala leave 15 dead and half a million affected

Guatemala, SANA- At least 15 people were killed and 22 were injured in Guatemala in about a dozen landslides caused by torrential rains since the beginning of May and affecting half a million others, authorities said Monday.

The Civil Protection said in a statement that among the 15 dead, there is a woman and her six children, in addition to three other minors, noting that these people fell in two indigenous villages.

The statement pointed out that heavy rains accompanied by strong winds caused landslides, floods and collapses in infrastructure and facilities in many regions of the Central American country.

According to the statement, 930 homes, eight educational institutions, more than 80 roads and seven bridges were damaged, three of which collapsed completely.

The areas most affected are those inhabited by indigenous people who are already the most vulnerable to natural disasters.

The rainy season in Central America, one of the regions most affected by climate change, extends from May to November, and disasters caused by precipitation and winds during this season claim hundreds of deaths annually.

Manar Salameh/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri