BRIEFS: National

Protesters close pan-american highway

Residents of the Altos del Ángel neighborhood blocked the Pan-American Highway yesterday for two hours to protest their poor living conditions.

The protesters said that 45 houses in the area are in danger of collapsing because of erosion. The problem was made worse when a creek flooded last week.

Resident Lidia Víquez said that the government has done little to prevent flooding in the area, which killed 17 people four years ago, including several of her relatives.

“I do not want to live through a tragedy like that again,” she said. “When it rains, like it did last Wednesday, I get very scared.”

The town, located 23 kilometers east of Panama City, was developed by the company Econoplade. Residents paid between $25,000 and $40,000 for houses there.

Officials from the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente met with protesters and said they would meet with Econoplade representatives next week to discuss the situation.