Six Killed, 60,000 Forced To Evacuate As Hurricane Iota Ravages Nicaragua - Authorities

At least six people have been killed and over 60,000 were forced to evacuate following floods and landslides caused by hurricane Iota, Prensa news agency reported, citing Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2020) At least six people have been killed and over 60,000 were forced to evacuate following floods and landslides caused by hurricane Iota, Prensa news agency reported, citing Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo.

According to the authorities, two children died on Monday while trying to cross the river and another four people died on Tuesday due to floods and landslides. Those evacuated have been accommodated in 600 shelters

The tropical hurricane also hit Colombia, damaging all the housing stock of Profidencia island in the Caribbean sea, Housing, Cities and Territorial Minister of Colombia Jonathan Malagon Gongalez said.

"One hundred percent of housing is damaged, about 80 percent were completely destroyed, another 20 percent were partially destroyed," Malagon said at the press conference streamed by Twitter on Tuesday.

According Colombian President Ivan Duque, the mechanisms of prevention, warning and evacuation contributed to the reduction of a number of victims in Colombia, where two persons were reported dead and one missing.

The Colombian authorities promised complete restoration of housing of all the inhabitants of the island in 2021. At the moment the authorities plan to install around 4,000 tents with mattresses.

Colombian air force evacuated 112 people to the mainland including tourists, personnel of the tourist industry and six injured people.

Late Monday night hurricane Iota made landfall in Colombia before moving to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. The strong waves and fierce winds from Iota caused material damage, leaving thousands of people without home, water and electricity supply.