Iran Press/ America: Hurricane Julia swept by just south of Colombia's San Andrés island Saturday evening soon after strengthening from a tropical storm, as Nicaraguans rushed to prepare for the storm's arrival overnight on their Caribbean coast.
Tropical storm Julia turned into a hurricane on Saturday evening as it passed the Colombian island San Andres and headed toward the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/hr.
Former Hurricane Julia has dissipated but is still drenching Guatemala and El Salvador with torrential rains Monday after it reemerged in the Pacific following a pounding of Nicaragua.
Guatemala’s disaster prevention agency said five people died after a hillside collapsed on their house in Alta Verapaz province, burying them.
Authorities in El Salvador said five Salvadoran army soldiers died after a wall collapsed at a house where they sought refuge in the town of Comasagua, where hundreds of police and soldiers have been conducting anti-gang raids. Another soldier was injured.
Two other people died in the eastern El Salvador town of Guatajiagua after heavy rains caused a wall of their home to collapse. Another man in El Salvador died when he was swept away by a current, and another died when a tree fell on him. 219
Read More:
Hurricane Julia batters Colombian island and heads for Nicaragua
