BRIEFS. public safety

Landslides block highway, cause delays

The heavy rains that fell yesterday on the western sector of the province of Panama caused landslides on the Arraiján-La Chorrera Highway in the Loma Cová area, causing a massive traffic jam.

The rain also caused flooding that damaged homes in El Chorro and prompted rivers to overflow in Arraiján.

The blockage, which happened between Arraiján and Panama City, essentially closed the Bridge of the Americas. Motorists were forced to use the Centennial Bridge, which caused massive backlogs on that road. There is a large amount of traffic on the highway because of the three-day weekend.

There were a total of three landslides on the highway, and officials with the Ministry of Public Works were scrambling yesterday to get the highway open once again. The rains, which have been fairly steady for the last two days, have caused many rivers around the capital to rise, prompting concerns about flooding.