San Salvador, El Salvador - June 21, 2024

At least eight people have died in Guatemala and eleven in El Salvador due to heavy rains that have been lashing Central America for days. The dangerous rains have caused flooding, overflowing rivers and landslides.

Three men died when two of them tried to help another who was drowning while trying to cross a flooded river in eastern Guatemala, authorities said on Tuesday. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction confirmed that the three men drowned in the Pulula River in the municipality of Jalpatagua in the department of Jutiapa.

In a video that went viral, a man is seen trying to get out of a swollen river while two others jump in to save him. The father of one of the three runs to help them while shouting at him to swim to the other side, but the force of the water prevents him from doing so and the three drown before the eyes and screams of several people.

The three men were added to the five deaths that the storms have already claimed in the Central American country since the rainy season began late at the beginning of the month, keeping the authorities on alert.

Risk management authorities have reported collapsed and destroyed roads, overflowing rivers and falling trees. The Ministry of Education is maintaining the suspension of classes nationwide until further notice due to the constant rains.

The authorities have warned the population that between June and July it will rain between 25 and 50 per cent more than normal, which will generate surpluses that could exceed 200 millimetres.

With images in association with Camino Enruta.

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the floods and destruction in El Salvador.