Heavy rains cause deadly mudslides
published: Thursday | October 6, 2005

SAN SALVADOR,

El Salvador (AP):

HEAVY RAINS pounded Central America for a fourth day Wed-nesday, pushing rivers over their banks and unleashing at least two deadly mudslides as the region's death toll increased to nearly 100 people.

Hurricane Stan, which had helped spawn separate rainstorms in Central America, weakened to a depression on Wednesday, a day after making landfall along Mexico's gulf coast. But punishing rains continued to pound regions of Central America and southern Mexico.

In Guatemala on Wednesday, two mudslides in Solola and nearby San Lucas Toleman, both about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Guatemala City, buried several houses. It was not clear how many people were caught in the earth and debris, said Carlos Santizo, chief of the Solola volunteer fire department.