Nicaragua confirms more
deaths from hurricane
after bodies pulled from
the sea
The Nicaraguan army said
Wednesday that at least
101 people were killed
by Hurricane Felix,
after more bodies were
pulled from the sea or
retrieved from the
country's northern
jungle.
But authorities have not
kept a tally of the
missing, making it
nearly impossible to
determine how many
people were killed by
the hurricane in remote,
roadless communities in
Nicaragua. Officials say
some of the victims were
buried by relatives
without informing the
government.
On Wednesday, the army
said in a news release
that the bodies of 21
Nicaraguans — 17 women
and four men — were
found floating along
Honduras' coast on
Tuesday, a week after
the hurricane hit. The
were immediately buried
in the town of Raya,
Honduras.
Authorities in Raya —
just across Nicaragua's
northern border —
informed the Nicaraguan
army about the discovery
of the bodies, and
soldiers verified the
location of the
impromptu grave.
Another 13 bodies were
found near a lagoon in
Nicaragua's northern
jungle and turned over
to relatives for burial,
the army said.
The latest bodies bring
the total number of
confirmed dead from
Felix to 101, the
Nicaraguan army said.
Felix devastated remote
jungle beaches and
communities along the
Honduras-Nicaragua
coast, home to the
Miskito Indians, tearing
down thousands of homes
and killing scores of
people.
At least 35 Nicaraguan
Miskito Indians that
survived the Category-5
hurricane by clinging to
wreckage as the storm
swamped low-lying reefs
and keys were blown
clear into Honduras. |
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