By IANS
Santo Domingo : At least 11 people have been killed and several were missing in the heavy floods caused by tropical storm Olga in the northwestern region of Dominican Republic, Spanish news agency EFE reported Thursday.
The unexpected storm that hit the Caribbean nation just 10 days after the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, forced about 34,480 people to evacuate their homes, officials said.
The storm weakened to a tropical depression Wednesday.
Northwestern province of Santiago has suffered the brunt of the storm, as the Yaque del Norte river burst its banks and washed away a number of homes in Santiago, the same-named capital city of the province. Ten people from this province have been killed and several others have gone missing.
According to provincial the Emergency Operations Committee (COE), another unidentified man died in northern city of Constanza.
The death toll could increase further in the city and other adjacent regions, said Francisco Arias, the regional Civil Defence director.
“There are dead and missing, but we still don’t have the precise number because we’re limited to rescuing those who are alive,” Arias told reporters.
Meanwhile, three air force helicopters and a navy vessel have been sent to rescue people in the Bella Vista, Rincon de Oro, Nueva Yoi Chiquito and Rafey districts of Santiago city.
Last month, more than 150 people were killed in the tropical storm Noel in Dominican Republic.