900 Trapped
In Cerro de la Muerte
Rescued
Some 900 people had to
endure the cold, rain
and mud for almost 40
hours after being
trapped since Thursday
in the area known as
Cerro de la Muerte, on
the Intermaricana Sur
highway between San José
and Perez Zeledon, due
to some 15 mudslides
that blocked and closed
off some 10 kilometres
of the highway.
Trucks, buses and
passenger vehicles are
all trapped in the
different sections of
the blocked highway
caused by heavy rains.
The rescue efforts ended
yesterday afternoon when
the Comisión Nacional de
Emergencia (CNE) was
able to rescue those who
remained trapped in
their vehicles since
2:00am Thursday.
The fould weather caused
a number of mudslides
onto the highway between
kilometres 98 and 107,
surprising the motorists
on the road at the time.
A number told of their
horrifying experience of
passing a night in one
the coldest places in
the country and without
food or drinking water.
Six Red Cross workers
were able to get on foot
to offer first aid to
some of the stranded.
Machinery finally made
it to the area by
11:00am Friday to begin
the clean, followed by
by police, firefighters,
members of the CNE and
Red Cross workers
finally were able to
make it to all the
affected in the early
afternoon, as machinery
slowly cleared the
roadway of debris and
traffic was able to move
again.
Fortunately no one was
reported with serious
injuries. |
