SANTO DOMINGO, (Reuters) – At least six people died from torrential rain and flooding in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, over the weekend, as authorities began assessing the damage and removing debris and other materials.
“It’s a problem that continued to grow, the city and greater Santo Domingo area grew without a real drainage system,” President Luis Abinader told journalists on Sunday.
Parts of the capital saw up to 230 millimeters (9 inches) of rain Friday afternoon and night, twice the estimate for the entire month, said Gloria Ceballos, director of the country’s weather bureau.
Rains paralyzed the capital for several hours over the weekend and caused flooding that dragged vehicles into rivers, led to landslides and destroyed several homes.
The president, who on Saturday had declared a state of emergency for the capital and the neighboring province of Santo Domingo, said specialists were assessing the damage and would present an estimate on Tuesday.
The Emergency Operations Center confirmed six deaths on Sunday, but several people were still missing.
Two men, one of whom was trying to rescue his car, drowned; a man and a teenager were electrocuted; two more were crushed to death by collapsing walls.
The weather bureau had warned on Friday of heavy rains.