Hurricane Eta batters Central America

MANAGUA: Hurricane Eta ripped roofs from homes, unleashed major flooding and caused landslips as it battered the coastline of Nicaragua and neighbouring Honduras yesterday, reportedly killing at least three people and imperilling dozens of fishermen.

Eta, one of the most powerful storms to hit Central America in years, plowed into Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on the fivestep SaffirSimpson scale, battering roads and bridges in Honduras. Hundreds of people were evacuated.

Barrelling ashore south of the port of Puerto Cabezas, Eta was expected to cause ‘‘catastrophic’’ damage as its eye moved inland along the northeastern coast of Nicaragua, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.

When it struck the coast, Eta was blowing potentially devastating winds of 225kmh, and it should weaken rapidly as it advanced inland, the NHC said.

By 9pm (local time), Eta was a Category 2 storm blowing winds of 169kmh. It was churning through Nicaragua about 70km westsouthwest of Puerto Cabezas, moving westward, the NHC said.

Nicaraguan media reported two artisanal miners were killed by a mudslide. In Honduras, a 13yearold girl died in a landslip at her home, the fire department said.

Meanwhile, about 60 fishermen were trapped and in danger in the eastern Mosquitia region of Honduras, according to Robin Morales, a representative of the local population.

They ‘‘remain adrift at sea shouting for help’’, Morales said, adding a Honduran Navy official told him it was too dangerous to mount a rescue operation.

‘‘If they aren’t rescued, I don’t think these people will remain alive for more than 24 hours,’’ Morales said. — Reuters