Floods caused by heavy rain in El Salvador have killed at least seven people, including an eight-year-old boy, and forced hundreds of families to move to makeshift shelters since Friday, authorities said on Sunday.
Civil Protection units have been evacuating hundreds of families throughout the country after rivers and floods overflowed their banks as Tropical Storm Amanda hit the country.
"It has been necessary to use vessels, in this case, we used boats today to be able to evacuate people. We have even evacuated some pets that people asked us to help," Defense Minister Francis Merino Monroy said.
More than 200 homes have been destroyed by floods, 100 trees uprooted, and 10 shelters have been set up in the hardest hit western part of the country, according to a preliminary report from Civil Protection.
Residents, however, continue to be at risk of losing their homes because of landslides and flooding in some vulnerable areas.
President Nayib Bukele has decreed a State of National Emergency for 15 days and Civil Protection issued a red alert for the entire country.
