Iota death toll mounts

Tegucigalpa/Mexico City: Authorities in Central America recovered more bodies yesterday from landslips triggered by hurricane Iota, which battered the impoverished region this week.

The number of reported deaths rose to more than 40 across Central America and Colombia, and the toll is expected to rise as rescue workers reach isolated communities. Most of the deaths occurred in Nicaragua and Honduras.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez issued an urgent plea for international help.

‘‘We are in a situation of great calamity and we need the world to help us rebuild our country,’’ he told a news conference. — Reuters