Tropical Storm Pilar Leaves 2 Dead, 1 Missing in El Salvador

Tropical Storm Pilar finally made landfall in Central America, devastating El Salvador the most as the storm's passage turned deadly as it approached from the Pacific Coast of the country.

The heavy rains that came with Tropical Storm Pilar have been blamed for two deaths in the country as it continues its path along the Pacific Coast, according to the Associated Press.

Currently, the storm is located around t 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of San Salvador with winds of 50 mph (85 kph), per the US National Hurricane Center. It is seen moving east-northeast at 3 mph (6 kph) and is expected to maintain that general track on Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Pilar is also expected to stall for a day or more after it continues down its path just off the Pacific coast before turning around and heading back to sea. After this, the NHC predicted that it would not go back to land anymore.

Weather forecasts say that El Salvador is expected to receive 10 inches (12-24 centimeters), while Costa Rica might get a bit more as it could receive as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) in some areas. Despite this, however, no evacuations have been ordered in El Salvador yet, though an alert was issued last Sunday, with Congress declaring a national state of emergency.

Classes have also been suspended around the Central American country until Wednesday, with the government preparing approximately 100 shelters as the storm continues its path across the coast.

Tropical Storm Pilar Caused Strong Currents That Killed 2 People in El Salvador

While Pilar is expected to pour more rain in Costa Rica, its effect had been deadlier in El Salvador as the Latin American country reported two deaths as a result of Tropical Storm Pilar.

According to AA, a 24-year-old male and a 57-year-old female died as a cause of the storm. Reports indicated that both of them were "swept away" by strong currents in the region of La Union, which is located 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of San Salvador.

They are not the only possible casualties in the country, however, as an 18-year-old male has been reported missing on San Diego beach, which is located 40 kilometers south of the capital.

As such, Deputy Director of Civil Protection Fermin Perez asked Salvadorans "to avoid crossing rivers, streams or any water current that is generated by rain or storms, due to the probability of being washed away."

Other Countries in Latin America Also Feel Tropical Storm Pilar's Wrath

Aside from Costa Rica and El Salvador, the storm is also expected to affect other areas across Latin America, including southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Colombia.

France 24 reported that Nicaragua issued a heavy rainfall alert with up to 120 millimeters in some areas. Meanwhile, there have been reports of flooding in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, as the heavy rainfall turned streets into rivers.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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