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Torrential rains, floods kill 24 in Honduras

Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:56pm EDT
TEGUCIGALPA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At least 24 people have been killed and thousands evacuated in Honduras after days of torrential rain, landslides and flooding, rescue workers said on Wednesday.

Some 25,000 people are homeless as relentless continue to pound low-lying northern Honduras and downpours swell rivers in some of the poorest parts in the south of the country.

"There are 24 dead and 8 people missing," said senior rescue worker Randolfo Funez.

About 60 percent of the impoverished Central American nation's roads are damaged and crops have been ruined.

President Manuel Zelaya has called a national state of emergency, calling for international aid and warning of a major disaster as rivers burst their banks.

Honduras is prone to flooding, mudslides and hurricanes. In 1998 it was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, which killed about 10,000 people across Central America. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia)






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