The government of the Dominican Republic declared “national mourning” in honor of the victims of the torrential rains over the weekend, which have left 24 deaths as of Monday and the risk that the number will increase, authorities reported.
“Three (3) days of official mourning are declared throughout the territory of the Dominican Republic (…) on the occasion of the fatalities resulting from the passage of the recent atmospheric phenomenon through the country,” says a decree from the government of President Luis Abinader.
(Also read: Three days of mourning for more than 20 deaths due to the rains in the Dominican Republic).
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) raised the number of fatalities to 24 and warned that the figure may increase because “there are bodies that have not been identified.”
“We must wait for the Inacif (Institute of Forensic Sciences) to provide this information, identify the bodies and cause of death”said the director of the COE, General Juan Manuel Méndez to the press.
Three of the deceased identified so far are minors, four are American nationals and another four are Haitians, according to the list released by the COE.
The collapse of a wall on several vehicles traveling along an important avenue in Santo Domingo left nine dead. The water “infiltrated into a saturated subsoil” and the bases of the concrete wall gave way, the Ministry of Public Works said in a statement.
The rest of the deaths occurred in different incidents that occurred as a result of the rains.
Some 17,000 people have been moved to safe areas.
The COE also warned about the possibility of more flooding, due to the saturation of the soil.
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Abinader’s government keeps 31 of the 32 provinces of the Caribbean country on alertonly one on red alert, 28 on yellow alert and two on green.
Abinader said at a press conference on Sunday that the rains observed since Saturday represent the “heaviest rainfall event ever to occur in the Dominican Republic.”
The president, who considered the situation as a reflection of the imbalances caused by climate change, This Monday he plans to visit several areas affected by heavy rains.
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At the end of August, the passage of Storm Franklin through the Dominican Republic left two dead and one missing. and forced the evacuation of some 3,000 people from areas in dangerous conditions.
AFP
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