Storm Eta death toll rises to 57 in Honduras
The death toll in Honduras from Tropical Storm Eta has more than doubled in a day, with authorities on Monday reported 57 people had died as rescuers seek out bodies.
Honduras is probably the countries worst hit by the storm, which slammed into Central America the other day as a Category 4 hurricane.
Some 200 persons are dead or missing following the storm deluged the region with torrential rains.
Honduran authorities had put the toll at 23 on Sunday.
Eight people are listed as missing in the united states, large parts of which are underwater, in line with the country's emergency authority COPCO.
A relief operation is underway in Honduras' Sula Valley financial heartland, near to the country's second major city, San Pedro Sula. Two major rivers overflowed their banks, triggering widespread flooding and trapping thousands of people.
President Juan Orlando Hernandez thanked US soldiers from a joint task force located in Palmerola in the centre of the country, in addition to neighboring El Salvador, for providing assistance with the victims.
A 21-strong rescue team from El Salvador arrived on Saturday as part of the relief operation.
Eta left a trail of destruction through Honduras and Guatemala even while it weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in Nicaragua on Tuesday.
El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba and Mexico have suffered varying levels of damage from the storm, which swept into Florida on Monday with strong winds and heavy rain.
So far, the united states with the best death toll is Guatemala, where about 150 people are dead or missing.
Torrential rain and a bitter cold front associated with Eta have also claimed at least 20 lives in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. - AFP
