On the weekend, heavy rainfall in the Dominican Republic resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people and forced thousands from their homes, according to Dominican officials. One of the most devastating incidents was a landslide that occurred when heavy rain caused the wall of a highway tunnel in Santo Domingo to collapse. Among the victims were three children and nine people.
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) reported that the rain also caused flooded homes, power outages, and damage to bridges and roads throughout the country. President Luis Abinader described it as “the biggest rain event in our country’s history” and announced that classes in schools would be suspended until Wednesday in order to ensure the safety of students and teachers. Additionally, the US embassy stated that the rain, which is expected to continue on Monday, is a result of a tropical cyclone and has affected most of the 32 provinces in the country with red and yellow weather alerts still active.
The AFP news agency reported that among those deceased were four American citizens and three from neighboring Haiti. The authorities are continuing to investigate other incidents related to this weather event.