Gustav's death toll in Haiti rises to 51

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - At least 51 people have died in Haiti as a result of Tropical Storm Gustav, which hit the impoverished Caribbean nation as a hurricane on Tuesday, an official said on Thursday.

"There are 51 people killed," Alta Jean-Baptiste, director of Haiti's civil protection office, told Reuters.

The deaths occurred primarily as a result of flooding and mudslides in western and southern Haiti, she said.

(Reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva, editing by Jim Loney and Sandra Maler)