national

Raging waters run amok

Several rivers in the Darién province have inundated some 29 communities there.

A 50-year-old drowned in the Chepo district yesterday, bringing the death toll to nine people.

Diómedes Sánchez/la prensa

shut down: Transportation authorities blocked off a section of the Transístmica in the Colón province yesterday after it caved in.1125857

Some 3,940 inhabitants and 766 homes in communities throughout the Darién province have been affected by flooding as several rivers throughout the region spilled over their banks following constant rains during the past 48 hours, according to sources from the country’s civil protection agency, SINAPROC.

On a more positive note, no injuries in the indigenous regions were reported, and floodwaters are starting to recede, allowing some residents to return to their homes and begin during out their belongings.

The foul weather prevailing across the country, however, has brought tragedy to other areas, such as Santa Cruz de Chinina, in the Chepo district, where Sixto Trejos, 50, reportedly drowned on Thursday night after being dragged into the fast-moving waters of the Lagarto river.

That river, which runs through a community of the same name, toppled a bridge and two homes, while damaging 13 others, where upward of 75 residents reported having lost much of their clothing and furniture, said Santa Cruz de Chinina representative Justin Banda.

So far, some nine people in the country have fallen victim to floodwaters this week.

Meanwhile, emergency authorities reported that a section of the Vía Transístmica had collapsed near Quebrada López on the outskirts of Colón City, prompting the Ministry of Public Works to cordon off a stretch of the highway.

Ministry official Humberto Gondola explained that heavy rains had weakened the ground beneath the road, causing the slab to fracture and slide out from underneath, an issue that will be repaired by the company responsible for the highway’s construction.

According to Gondola, the affected stretch will remain closed until repairs are completed, reducing the highway to one lane toward Colón and two lanes bound in the direction of the capital.

In the Coclé province, rice growers were concerned that the torrential rains threatened to destroy about $1.5 million of their crop. Agricultural authorities in the region reported that 700 hectares of rice are already under water.

And several rivers throughout the central province had reportedly overrun their banks, including El Estero, in Aguadulce; El Cano, Rio Grande, Cocle and South Zaratí in Penonomé; and Antón La Estancia, in Anton, forcing rice growers to suspend the harvest eight days ago.