150 die as tropical storm hits Central America

At least 150 people have died and thousands have been made homeless as tropical storm Agatha caused flooding and landslides in Central America.

Guatemala has been hardest hit, with 123 dead and 90 missing as isolated communities were buried by landslides and others cut off by washed-out roads and collapsed bridges. About 110,000 were forced to leave their homes.

Rescue efforts have been complicated by a volcanic eruption on Thursday near the capital, Guatemala City, that blanketed parts of the area with ash.

Governor Erick de Leon of Chimaltenango province said: "There are a lot of dead people. The roads are blocked. The shelters are overflowing. We need water, food, clothes, blankets - but above all, money."

In one village, Parajbei, a landslide smothered three homes and killed 11 people. "It was raining really hard and there was a huge noise," said Vicente Azcaj, 56, who ran outside and saw land crumbling. "Now everyone is afraid that the same will happen to their homes."

Volunteers from nearby villages have worked since Sunday to recover bodies and yesterday found the last two - brothers aged four and eight who were buried under tons of dirt, rocks and trees. The landslides blocked roads and broke pipes, meaning the water supply is threatened.

In El Salvador, 11,000 people were forced to flee. The death toll rose to 10 and two others were missing, said president Mauricio Funes. The Lempa River, which flows to the Pacific, topped its banks and flooded at least 20 villages, affecting some 6,000 people.

Officials warned that the Acelhuate River, which cuts through San Salvador, was running at dangerously high levels and threatened to spill over into the capital's streets.

Agatha hit the Guatemala-Mexico border on Saturday as a tropical storm with winds up to 45mph. It blew out the following day over the mountains of western Guatemala.