SANTO DOMINGO: At least 21 people, including three children have been killed after torrential rains inundated the Dominican Republic over the weekend, Western media reported on Sunday.
Heavy rains in the past 48 hours have caused flooding, damaged infrastructure and destroyed houses in the country. President Luis Abinader has termed the recent rain as largest rainfall event ever in the history of Dominican Republic.
The US embassy in a weather alert said the rains, from a tropical depression, are expected to continue across the country for the next 24 hours.
At least nine people were killed when a wall collapsed on several vehicles traveling on a major road in the capital, Santo Domingo on Sunday.
The Ministry of Public Works has said the wall collapsed as the infiltrated water in the ground shook away the foundation of the concrete wall. The ministry has ordered an inquiry on into the incident.
Nine other people killed in separate incidents in Santo Domingo on the same day.
According to the Emergency Operations Center, some 13,000 people have been evacuated across the country, and a majority of the country’s provinces are under high alert.
Abinader said schools have also been closed until Wednesday to evaluate the damage to the schools.
According to the reports four of the dead are US nationals, and three are from neighboring Haiti.
