Torrential rain causes mudslide in Costa Rica by Tomasz Schafernaker
Two days of continuous rainfall across parts of Costa Rica triggered a mudslide in the town of Atenas near San Jose on Thursday. A number of people were killed and hundreds of homes were buried as the heavy rain caused a hill side to collapse.
The National Emergency Commission declared a red alert yesterday for a number of central Pacific areas including Parrita and Atenas, bracing the residents for further possible mudslides. The rains have already caused widespread floods which have washed away more than 800 homes in the region, and many rivers remain uncomfortably high.
The country has been hit by an unusual spell of heavy rain over the past week as a result of a low pressure system which has been resting over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, blowing precipitation over the region.
Although the system is expected to diminish today, forecasters are predicting more heavy rain along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast over the next few days from another tropical system which is brewing over Panama.
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